A Wizard in Iwatodai URE
by Xamusel - Gamma 11
Summary: Persona users aren't the only ones to fight Shadows. When a Ringed Wizard arrives in Iwatodai for what should be a normal school year in 2009... sorry, Kamen Rider Wizard, your life is FAR from normal, especially considering that you have to fight Shadows and Demons in the long haul. SMT added to the crossover elements here. URE of the original on Takeshi Yamato's profile.
1. Prologue

**Xamusel: Well… this is now a new thing. Takeshi and I decided to rewrite this story from the ground up, after over a year away from the whole thing, including the original Foreign Saga side story for the first version. We hope that this time will be better overall.**

 **Oh, right, by the time this chapter comes out, we'll have had a minimum of five extra chapters written for not just this story, but for the side stories (yes, you read right, more than one)... all in reserve on the off-chance Takeshi and I are incapable of doing more writing for the series at any given point in time. We don't know whether or not we'll have to stop the series… we hope not.**

 **Now, before I forget, neither Takeshi nor myself own the series' used in this series of fanfics. If we did own what we wrote about… would we be writing this to begin with?**

 **On another note, there's something at the bottom I feel the need to share with you guys, so please stick around.**

 **Well, then… The Wheel Of Fate Is Turning. Rebel 1,** ** _Action_** **!**

* * *

 **A Wizard in Iwatodai Ultimate Rewrite Edition**  
 _Story written by Xamusel and Takeshi Yamato_

* * *

 **Prologue:** The Wizard Arrives

* * *

 _23:55, April 6th, 2009_

* * *

The sound of traffic could be heard from the streets of big cities all around Japan, even as the highways started clearing up, since people were trying to get home or to their destination before things could get messy. The highway to Iwatodai was hardly any exception, even as a young woman of about 16 years old, wearing a black jacket over a burgundy shirt, light blue pants, a black motorcycle helmet, a pink backpack, black biker boots and two strange rings on her hands was trying to get off as soon as she could. It was less to do with trying to get away from the police, even though she did have a run-in with them before about a year ago, and more like she was hoping to make it to the hotel she booked before morning.

Nayuki Kinomoto, the woman on the motorcycle, was indeed in a hurry. She was about fifteen minutes away from Iwatodai at top speed, but the world seemed to conspire against her, because there was a lot of traffic on the way to that particular city. The hotel she booked a room at requested that she show up by 0100, which seemed to be impossible at this rate, even for a Wizard.

"Jeez, this is nuts," she said, as she weaved through another gap as the exit for Mikage-cho, the city between her and Iwatodai, got closer. "Note to self, never drive between cities at night again."

Taking the time to zip to the exit, she pulled off the highway and rode towards the next available highway entrance, putting miles in to get over to Iwatodai. On the way there, she saw something out of the corner of her eye, causing her to stop for a short bit. "What the… the SEBEC building is still up? I thought that company was bankrupt because of what Kandori did…"

Of course, her ruminations were stopped by a police officer waving to get her attention. "Hey, lady! What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?!" the police officer called out.

"Sorry, Officer," she said as she pulled up to him. "I'm trying to get to Iwatodai - I have a hotel room reserved, but they want me there by 0100, so I'm… in a bit of a hurry.

The officer blinked a few times in succession, before he opened his mouth to speak… and was transmogrified into a crystal coffin, as the surrounding environment changed on her. Everything turned green, all cars and lights around her turned off, and any water on the ground seemed to turn to blood. The only thing still running was Machine Winger.

She sighed. "Not again," she muttered. "I've been experiencing this every time I've been up late for the past few years… It's somewhat annoying by this point."

Taking the time to ride on over to the next highway entrance by that point, she noticed that there were a few people not affected by the environment, or so it seemed. If there was indeed anyone truly unaffected, she'd be happy, at the least.

Finally… after what felt to be twelve minutes, she made it to the highway entrance, continuing along to her destination. It would take her about fifteen minutes from that point to get to the city… and about thirty minutes more to get to her next stop.

* * *

 _Dark Hour, April 6th, 2009_

* * *

Minato Arisato was surprisingly calm for being in what he had realized long ago was a time paradox. Then again, he'd had 10 full years to get used to the thing. Though he was all by himself - even his sisters were usually stuck in those crystalline coffins whenever it occurred.

With a sigh, he walked along as he thought to himself, _'This has got to be the worst possible time of my life ever… I just hope that I can meet with my friend in town later. Poor her… having zero idea what's going on in this time of day.'_ As he continued walking, he thought he heard an engine going off, and nearly dismissed that as absurd for good reason… were it not for the motorcycle nearing him.

The motorcycle approached, slowing as its rider neared him, revealing them as a woman with a rather large bust, and what looked like icy blue hair emerging from under her helmet. "Hey!" she called out. "Need a lift?"

Minato blinked in confusion, before asking, "How did you get that to work?"

"Well… let's just say it's not a normal motorcycle," she said. "It runs on something other than gas… and that apparently allows it to run during whatever the heck's going on right now."

Minato gave it some consideration, before he finally nodded. "Alright," he said. "I'm heading for a dormitory in the area, the SEES dormitory, which should be nearby… but I think I'm lost."

The rider nodded. "Alright… I looked at a map earlier, and that should be on the way… by the way, do you have any idea what this actually _is?_ "

"Some kind of Time Paradox is all I can figure out," Minato replied. "It seems to function like a 25th hour to the day, only most people aren't aware of it because of… well…" he pointed to a coffin.

"Right," the Rider replied. "Well, get on - I should be able to get you to your dormitory soon enough."

"Thank you," Minato nodded, before he got on the motorcycle. "I hope you have another helmet, do you?"

She passed it over to him. "Here," she said. "Hang on… but if you grab in the wrong place, you're getting smacked."

Minato paled considerably at the threat, before putting on the helmet and making sure not to grab an inappropriate spot. "By the way, the name's Arisato… Minato Arisato. What's your name, miss?" he asked her.

"Nayuki Kinomoto," the woman, Nayuki, replied. "Now, hang on, Machine Winger's pretty fast."

With that, they rode off to the SEES Dormitory.

* * *

Upon arriving in front of the dorm, the two riders of the motorcycle got off, only to realize something was not quite right. For starters, the dorm had lights on, which didn't make any sense. For another thing, nobody seemed to be in the building, though that seemed to be a trap.

"Er, Kinomoto-san…?" Minato asked.

"I'll go in with you," Nayuki replied. "I'm rather handy in a fight, so if something goes wrong, I'll back you up." She moved her hands down to her belt, which was when Minato noticed some… eccentricities of the belt. The buckle seemed to be a hand, primarily in black but outlined in gold, styled as a right hand pointed downward and to her left. And on the left side was a chain loop, holding… what looked like more versions of the Rings on Nayuki's middle fingers.

Minato looked at her in surprise, before shaking his head. "I'd ask, but I think you wouldn't give a straight answer…" he said.

"Likely," she said. "OK… your dorm, so you go first."

Minato took the opportunity to walk to the door, placing an ear to it to make sure there wasn't anyone else there. When he was certain that the coast was clear, he opened the door and walked on in.

Nayuki was close behind him, ready for just about—

"You're late," a young boy's voice said from their left, as Minato had taken off his earbuds by that point. "I've been waiting a long time for you."

Of course, Nayuki wasn't ready for a young boy in what looked to be prison get-up.

As the two of them looked at the young boy behind the welcome counter, he said, "Oh? Another with the ability to see me? I had not expected that to happen… well, then again, a Wizard is able to do the most _amazing_ things with their form of the Potential."

Nayuki looked at the boy. "How do you know what I am?" she asked, her eyes narrowed.

Before the boy could answer, Minato turned to her and asked, "You mean you're a Kamen Rider?"

"Indeed, she is," the boy answered. "Then again, how I know is not really important yet, since I'm only here for a short time tonight."

Nayuki sighed. "No point in concealing it from you now, I guess… but don't tell anyone, I'm trying to live as normal a life as possible for now after dealing with Wiseman."

"Right, I see," Minato nodded, before he thought to look back at—

The young boy snapped his fingers on his right hand, getting their attention in front of them. "Now, if you want to proceed, mister," he started, before gesturing to their left and at the welcome counter, "please sign your name there."

Nayuki narrowed her eyes. She could tell this boy was supernatural somehow. "That had better not be harmful to him," she warned.

"Oh, you mean the contract?" the boy asked, a brief hint of amusement in his eyes. "Not to worry, all it says is that he will take full responsibility for his actions while staying at this dorm."

Minato paid full attention to what was said, even as he walked over to sign the contract. "No extra clauses or anything?" he asked right in front of the contract. "Because I want to know what I'm getting myself into here."

"No extra clauses," the boy answered, shaking his head. "You can even check if you want."

"Be careful," Nayuki warned him. "It's your call in the end, but you always have to be careful with contracts involving the supernatural."

Minato looked at the boy and asked, "What happens if I refuse to sign the contract?"

"Then you won't be able to proceed," the boy answered. "You will only go to a different part of life, but with no way of knowing how you got there… of course, that won't be found in the contract at all because of how the contract itself was made."

Nayuki sighed. "Again, your call in the end," she said.

Minato thought it over, before asking, "Would it really be a bad thing to not sign the contract?"

"In more ways than one, yes," the boy answered. "You don't want to doom the world, do you?"

Minato paled at the thought of dooming the world, before he turned to the contract and signed it.

"What do you mean by that?" Nayuki asked the boy.

"Unfortunately, Mankind is ultimately self-destructive… more than the individual person would want," he answered. "If he didn't sign the contract, the world would die, through one means or another."

Nayuki sighed. The boy had a bit of a point, though she knew there were some who worked behind the scenes to channel that self-destructiveness to their own ends.

Minato then returned the contract to the boy, saying, "I hope you can read English."

"Thank you," the boy answered, taking the contract in his hands. "No one can escape time. It delivers us all to the same end. You can't plug your ears or cover your eyes." As soon as he said that, he rotated the hand holding the contract, causing it to vanish into thin air. After a bit, the darkness started going back to how it should be in the dorm, with the boy vanishing into the shadows. "And so it begins…" he finished, extending a hand to Minato and Nayuki, before it vanished at the end.

"Well… that was certainly unusual," Nayuki remarked. Though before Minato could reply—

"Who's there?!"

—he heard a _very_ familiar voice.

 _'_ _What the… Yukari? No, it can't be… she said she was in a secret group's dormitory, not where I'd end up full-time!'_ he thought. However, before he could continue to deny that it was her, he saw her… a young brunette woman in a pink cardigan and a black skirt, and… was that a gun in the holster on her leg? "Yukari?!" he called out.

"Minato-kun?!" Yukari called out in reply, staring at her childhood friend.

"Wait, you two know each other?" Nayuki asked.

With a sideways glare to Nayuki, Minato asked Yukari, "What are you _doing_ here? I thought you'd be in a different dorm!"

Before Yukari could reply—

"Takeba, wait!"

A slightly older woman than Yukari called out, causing everyone else to stare at her. She was a redhead with burgundy eyes in a white cardigan, and someone that looked eligible for a significant other… and she had a gun attached to her left waist.

After a few seconds, the lights went back on, and Minato's earbuds played "Burn My Dread" more.

* * *

 _The magic rings, the Wizard Rings._

(A red magic circle appears over a black background. Four lights appear at the main corners of the Circle, from which appear the Flame, Water, Hurricane, and Land Style Rings.)

 _They shine on both hands of the modern mage._

(The Rings float in different directions, Water, Hurricane, and Land going off the screen as Flame lands on Nayuki's left middle finger as she appears silhouetted in front of the magic circle, Driver On Ring on her right middle finger)

 _As she changes despair into hope._

(A close-up image of Nayuki's head and shoulders, still silhouetted, as the helmet and upper outfit of Wizard Flame Style super-impose themselves over her form.)

 **(BGM: Life is SHOW TIME [TV Version])**

 _Maji ka? Maji de? Maji da! Showtime!_ _ **(Seriously [it's magic]!? Really!? I'm serious! Show Time!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style does a few spins in various positions relative to a red magic circle on a white background, before appearing on Winger WizarDragon, which flies off the screen before WizarDragon flies back onto the screen, lobbing a fireball from its mouth as Wizard releases a Magic Circle from her ring before the flash resolves into the title logo.)

 _Maru de tsuki to taiyou_ _ **(It's like the shock)**_

(Nayuki is seen standing atop the Iwatodai Dorms building, overlooking the whole town, before the scene shifts to a solar eclipse, then to Wizard Flame Style spinning to face her right, and finally to Nayuki spinning to face her left.)

 _Kasanaru toki no shougeki_ _ **(When the moon and the sun collide!)**_

(Nayuki stands in the middle of a crowded street, head down, before raising it somewhat to look at a boy in a style similar to that of a jailbird, who looks up to reveal Pharos.)

 _Dare datte kiseki shinjite mitai_ _ **(Everyone wants to believe in a miracle)**_

(Pharos lifts his right hand up, the back of it facing Nayuki, and the screen shifts to show them reaching for each other's hand, before it shows them walking across the street to each other, Mitsuru appearing on Pharos' side, Minato showing up on Nayuki's side.)

 _Kitto hitotsu you_ _fukaketsu no ENAJI_ _kokoro no da ne_ _ **(The indispensable energy that people need comes from the heart)**_

(The background shatters, before Mitsuru drives up on her own motorcycle, pulling off her helmet before brandishing her rapier and Evoker. Minato then appears, a silhouetted image of Thanatos behind him. Pharos and Nayuki appear in front of a Velvet Doorway.)

 _Yume to yosou ii imi de uragitte kureru mono_ _ **(Dreams and expectations will betray you in a good way)**_

(Yukari Takeba is seen looking through a tome of magic, while a magic ball shows Nayuki transforming into Kamen Rider Wizard, the ball being held by Pharos.)

 _3! 21! 1! Showtime!_

(The scene shows Pharos' immediate area glowing in light.)

 _Magic Time!_

(Wizard Flame Style is seen in front of a building, jumping and spinning in place.)

 _TRICK ja nai!_ _ **(It's no trick!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style lands on the ground, lifting her right hand to her mask, before lowering her arm.)

 _Mahou HIIRO hanpa nee ze_ _ **(The Magic Hero is no pushover!)**_

(A red magic circle appears under her feet, with three separate magic circles, red, blue, and yellow, underneath the Red Garuda, Blue Unicorn, and Yellow Kraken PlaMonsters respectively, before Wizard Flame Style spins around and sends her familiars out.)

 _Mo-to halelujah_

(Three red magic circles appear around Wizard Flame Style as flames appear behind her.)

 _Kioku no roots moguri-konde kibou sukui-dase_ _ **(Dig into the roots of memory and save that hope!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style leaps through a blue magic circle to her right, becoming Wizard Water Style, then leaps up through a green magic circle to become Hurricane Style, then drops down through a yellow magic circle to become Land Style.)

 _Show Time!_

(Nayuki and Pharos reach for each other's hands and grab them.)

 _Life is showtime! Tobikiri no_ _ **(Life is Showtime! It's exhilerating!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style is seen falling through magic circles.)

 _Unmei to RAIFU mucha shite mo_ _ **(Even if you're reckless with fate and life!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style is riding Machine Winger down a road, as WizarDragon flies up alongside. Machine Winger and WizarDragon combine to form Winger WizarDragon, with Nayuki still riding.)

 _Mo-to halelujah_

(Back with the close up on Nayuki and Pharos' hands, as Nayuki moves the Hope Ring towards Pharos' finger.)

 _Kinou, kyou, ashita, mirai_ _ **(Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, and in the future…)**_

(Nayuki, Minato, Yukari, and Mitsuru are in the Iwatodai dorm, each doing various things. Their positions switch two times, with each switch showing a new set of activities.)

 _Subete no namida wo_ _ **(…all those tears…)**_

(Nayuki is riding Machine Winger, Mitsuru riding behind her.)

 _Show Time!_

(Nayuki finishes sliding the Hope Ring onto Pharos' finger, the ring beginning to light up.)

 _Kouseki ni kaette yaruze_ _ **(…I will change them into jewels!)**_

(Wizard's four main Styles come into view, Flame in the center, Water from the right, Hurricane from above, and Land from the left. The four pose identically as Water, Hurricane, and Land turn into light and merge with Flame.)

 _Maji ka? Maji de? Maji da! Showtime!_ _ **(Seriously [it's magic]!? Really!? I'm serious! Show Time!)**_

(Brief shot of Nayuki holding up her left hand with the Flame Style Ring on it, followed by Wizard Flame Style doing a brief spin and posing in front of Machine Winger, the story logo once again flaming into existence in the foreground.)

* * *

 **Xamusel: Finish!**

 **…** **no, I don't know why I said that, either. Anyway, here's Takeshi, everyone!**

* * *

 **Takeshi Yamato: Well, here we go again. Seriously, the muse is a fickle thing, and when it got back to this plot idea, there was so much to fix starting over seemed the best bet.**

 **First off, Minato and Yukari. We're still going with them as a pairing, but this time they're childhood friends. This means they already have a basis for a relationship, which meshes better with Foreign Saga in my book.**

 **Second, there's no contract that Nayuki has to sign. She'll still get a Persona from Philemon, and will still have access to her Dragon Styles and Infinity Styles restricted until later, but she's not going to need to sign a contract for that.**

 **Lastly, notice Minato mentioned** ** _sisters_** **, instead of just one sister. Trust me, we'll get into that as time goes on.**

 **Now, Xam has one more thing to say, so I'll pass it over to him.**

* * *

 **Xamusel: As far as what I wish to say, well, there are things I tend to support that need my monetary input. Of course, there are ways I could get said money, but I decided to take a page out of the books of Vimesenthusiast and Auto-nin on this one. I decided to use to earn cash for what I wish to support.**

 **Please note that you can find my account on by means of entering www com/xamusel (do not forget the periods in there)… and please note that this is the last of my things to be posted on my profile without financial support. I will still help others for free, and won't use their time and energy to earn cash, though I do wish to help those who help me write for my profile earn compensation should they so choose. Yes, this means whoever I co-write with has the chance to earn from this, should they want the cash.**

 **There will be three tiers of rewards per posting period… which is going to be between a week minimum and three months maximum (hopefully). If the first tier is unlocked, one story or chapter will be uploaded and published in that period of time. The second tier unlocks two stories or chapters, and the third unlocks three.**

 **Thank you for understanding… and, please, leave reviews of what you guys think of the story. Anyone and everyone who's an author will tell you that we thrive on the stuff. The next story to be updated will be this story that you're reading right now.**

 **Until we meet again…  
~Xamusel**

 **PS: How many of you can guess what we've got in mind for the planned sequel?**

 **PPS: This actually would've been out yesterday local time had I been able to access the internet at all... sadly, however, I'm a day late. I'm just glad that I have this day at all to post this. Nominally, however, I'd like to start posting my updates like this on Saturdays (local time).**

 **Well... farewell.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Xamusel: Okay… here's the new chapter. For those of you who helped support us, thank you, we desperately needed it for what we support. If it means anything to you, my sponsor child will surely be happier when the money goes to her, since she needs a lot of it compared to what she could have gotten.**

 **Also, there's a good reason why this story is M-rated from the beginning… you'll see it partway through this chapter, in fact. That's actually for good reason, too, what happens in the story. You'll just need to be patient in regards to when it plays a major role in what happens.**

 **In any event, this chapter is a major departure from canon, by a long shot. Hopefully you can see why that's the case now… or you can see why in hindsight. Either way works nicely.**

 **Then again… how many of you decided to leave questions or whatever in the previous chapter's reviews? There's a review corner for each and every review that we receive in this story… where we answer your reviews for the general public (especially if you're a guest reviewer or something).**

 **Now, then… The Wheel Of Fate Is Turning. Rebel 1,** ** _Action_** **!**

* * *

 **A Wizard in Iwatodai Ultimate Rewrite Edition**  
 _Story written by Xamusel and Takeshi Yamato_

* * *

 _0000, April 7th, 2009_

* * *

The three women and one man stood in the lobby for a moment, the Time Paradox (to use Minato's phrasing) seeming to have passed.

Finally, the redhead stepped forward to meet with the two newcomers. "I didn't think you'd arrive so late," she said to Minato. "My name is Mitsuru Kirijo. I'm one of the students who live in this dorm."

Yukari Takeba looked at Nayuki for a moment, before turning to face Mitsuru. "Who's she?" she asked.

"Nayuki Kinomoto, Transfer Student to Second Year at Gekkoukan High," Nayuki informed. "Was on my way to town when I ran into Minato-san here, and since his dorm was on the way to my hotel, I gave him a lift." All the while her gaze was on Mitsuru, taking in her white cardigan, her hair, her eyes, her figure… it was taking all Nayuki had to avoid staring at Mitsuru's chest. And she was wondering what was wrong with her - she was still somewhat on the rebound from what happened to Koyomi, for crying out loud!

Mitsuru looked at Nayuki in curiosity, wondering if there was more to her than she let on… before she shook her head, trying to clear it. "I see… what was the name of your hotel?" she asked.

"The Holiday Inn Iwatodai," Nayuki replied. "And I should probably be going - they wanted me there by 0100."

Mitsuru thought it over briefly, before she nodded. "I see," she said. "Alright, though I hope to speak with you after school, supposing your claim is legitimate."

"Alright, then," she said, as she walked back out. "I'll see you later today, then." She made her way back to Machine Winger, hopped on, and drove off.

While Nayuki was driving off, Minato asked, "Er, Yukari, why do you have a gun on hand?"

"Umm… it's technically not real, Minato-kun," Yukari replied. "It's meant for scaring off thugs and would-be rapists…"

Mitsuru looked between Minato and Yukari and asked, "Do you two know each other from somewhere, perchance?"

"We grew up together," Yukari replied. "Our parents were good friends… though Minato-kun moved away ten years ago when his parents died in an accident."

"Yukari… I thought I told you to drop the honorifics around me?" Minato asked, trying to get some sense of what to say in this situation.

"S-sorry, Minato," Yukari stuttered a bit. "But yeah, I'd heard he was transferring to Iwatodai, but not to our dorm!"

"Ah, that was a last minute decision to assign him here," Mitsuru answered. "He'll eventually be transferred to a room in the boy's dorm."

"I see," Yukari replied. "Well, it at least gives us a chance to catch up."

"Yeah, that sounds good," Minato said. "Now, I need to hit the sack, so… which room's mine?"

"End of the hall on the second floor," Mitsuru replied. "Takeba, show him the way."

"Sure thing, Mitsuru-senpai," Yukari replied. She then turned to Minato. "This way, Minato."

"Thank you, Yukari," Minato nodded before they walked on over to the room.

* * *

 _The magic rings, the Wizard Rings._

(A red magic circle appears over a black background. Four lights appear at the main corners of the Circle, from which appear the Flame, Water, Hurricane, and Land Style Rings.)

 _They shine on both hands of the modern mage._

(The Rings float in different directions, Water, Hurricane, and Land going off the screen as Flame lands on Nayuki's left middle finger as she appears silhouetted in front of the magic circle, Driver On Ring on her right middle finger)

 _As she changes despair into hope._

(A close-up image of Nayuki's head and shoulders, still silhouetted, as the helmet and upper outfit of Wizard Flame Style super-impose themselves over her form.)

 **(BGM: Life is SHOW TIME [TV Version])**

 _Maji ka? Maji de? Maji da! Showtime!_ _ **(Seriously [it's magic]!? Really!? I'm serious! Show Time!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style does a few spins in various positions relative to a red magic circle on a white background, before appearing on Winger WizarDragon, which flies off the screen before WizarDragon flies back onto the screen, lobbing a fireball from its mouth as Wizard releases a Magic Circle from her ring before the flash resolves into the title logo.)

 _Maru de tsuki to taiyou_ _ **(It's like the shock)**_

(Nayuki is seen standing atop the Iwatodai Dorms building, overlooking the whole town, before the scene shifts to a solar eclipse, then to Wizard Flame Style spinning to face her right, and finally to Nayuki spinning to face her left.)

 _Kasanaru toki no shougeki_ _ **(When the moon and the sun collide!)**_

(Nayuki stands in the middle of a crowded street, head down, before raising it somewhat to look at a boy in a style similar to that of a jailbird, who looks up to reveal Pharos.)

 _Dare datte kiseki shinjite mitai_ _ **(Everyone wants to believe in a miracle)**_

(Pharos lifts his right hand up, the back of it facing Nayuki, and the screen shifts to show them reaching for each other's hand, before it shows them walking across the street to each other, Mitsuru appearing on Pharos' side, Minato showing up on Nayuki's side.)

 _Kitto hitotsu you_ _fukaketsu no ENAJI_ _kokoro no da ne_ _ **(The indispensable energy that people need comes from the heart)**_

(The background shatters, before Mitsuru drives up on her own motorcycle, pulling off her helmet before brandishing her rapier and Evoker. Minato then appears, a silhouetted image of Thanatos behind him. Pharos and Nayuki appear in front of a Velvet Doorway.)

 _Yume to yosou ii imi de uragitte kureru mono_ _ **(Dreams and expectations will betray you in a good way)**_

(Yukari Takeba is seen looking through a tome of magic, while a magic ball shows Nayuki transforming into Kamen Rider Wizard, the ball being held by Pharos.)

 _3! 21! 1! Showtime!_

(The scene shows Pharos' immediate area glowing in light.)

 _Magic Time!_

(Wizard Flame Style is seen in front of a building, jumping and spinning in place.)

 _TRICK ja nai!_ _ **(It's no trick!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style lands on the ground, lifting her right hand to her mask, before lowering her arm.)

 _Mahou HIIRO hanpa nee ze_ _ **(The Magic Hero is no pushover!)**_

(A red magic circle appears under her feet, with three separate magic circles, red, blue, and yellow, underneath the Red Garuda, Blue Unicorn, and Yellow Kraken PlaMonsters respectively, before Wizard Flame Style spins around and sends her familiars out.)

 _Mo-to halelujah_

(Three red magic circles appear around Wizard Flame Style as flames appear behind her.)

 _Kioku no roots moguri-konde kibou sukui-dase_ _ **(Dig into the roots of memory and save that hope!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style leaps through a blue magic circle to her right, becoming Wizard Water Style, then leaps up through a green magic circle to become Hurricane Style, then drops down through a yellow magic circle to become Land Style.)

 _Show Time!_

(Nayuki and Pharos reach for each other's hands and grab them.)

 _Life is showtime! Tobikiri no_ _ **(Life is Showtime! It's exhilerating!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style is seen falling through magic circles.)

 _Unmei to RAIFU mucha shite mo_ _ **(Even if you're reckless with fate and life!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style is riding Machine Winger down a road, as WizarDragon flies up alongside. Machine Winger and WizarDragon combine to form Winger WizarDragon, with Nayuki still riding.)

 _Mo-to halelujah_

(Back with the close up on Nayuki and Pharos' hands, as Nayuki moves the Hope Ring towards Pharos' finger.)

 _Kinou, kyou, ashita, mirai_ _ **(Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, and in the future…)**_

(Nayuki, Minato, Yukari, and Mitsuru are in the Iwatodai dorm, each doing various things. Their positions switch two times, with each switch showing a new set of activities.)

 _Subete no namida wo_ _ **(…all those tears…)**_

(Nayuki is riding Machine Winger, Mitsuru riding behind her.)

 _Show Time!_

(Nayuki finishes sliding the Hope Ring onto Pharos' finger, the ring beginning to light up.)

 _Kouseki ni kaette yaruze_ _ **(…I will change them into jewels!)**_

(Wizard's four main Styles come into view, Flame in the center, Water from the right, Hurricane from above, and Land from the left. The four pose identically as Water, Hurricane, and Land turn into light and merge with Flame.)

 _Maji ka? Maji de? Maji da! Showtime!_ _ **(Seriously [it's magic]!? Really!? I'm serious! Show Time!)**_

(Brief shot of Nayuki holding up her left hand with the Flame Style Ring on it, followed by Wizard Flame Style doing a brief spin and posing in front of Machine Winger, the story logo once again flaming into existence in the foreground.)

* * *

 **Chapter 001:** The First Couple Days

* * *

 _0750, April 7th, 2009_

* * *

Minato, after having gotten out of bed and ready for the day that morning, was grateful for Yukari showing him the way to the high school… even though she had yet to give him a full tour of the school. He figured that, since she was busy with a few other things when she got him there, she'd give him the tour later. In any case…

"Ah, Minato-san!" he heard as Nayuki walked up. "I trust you got settled in properly last night?"

Minato turned to face Nayuki and said, "Yeah, though I'm pretty tired right now… hurts that the Time Paradox makes people extra tired in it."

"Yeah, I noticed that the last few times I was in it," she said. "Though I seem to be a rarity, in that I can achieve similar effects to rest by eating high-calorie foods." She held up a bag of plain sugar donuts. "Like these." She took one out and took a bite.

Minato looked at her curiously. "Did you find a donut shop on the way over here?" he asked. "Or did you clean out the Holiday Inn's supply of donuts?"

She smiled sheepishly. "I cleaned out the Holiday Inn," she said. "I can't help it - I love plain sugar donuts!"

Minato almost couldn't resist the urge to facepalm at hearing that. As it stood, though, he just settled for dropping his head in defeat.

"Anyway," Nayuki said, "I think we might want to check in at the Faculty Office - any idea where it is?"

Minato opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't say anything, because he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He closed his mouth and walked over to the thing he noticed.

Nayuki, curious, followed him over, not knowing what was going on.

When Minato made it over to the object that caught his attention, the bulletin board, he saw the class rosters. "Let's see… Arisato… Arisato… Ah-HA! I found it!"

"I take it you found which class you're in, Minato-san?" Nayuki said, before she began looking the board over, herself.

Minato nodded, before he pointed at a different name. "Here, your name's under Class 2-F, too," he said.

She looked, and indeed, she could see 'Nayuki Kinomoto' under Class 2-F, and near Minato's name. She also noticed another name in the list. "I think your friend might be in the same class, too," she said.

"Yukari's in the same class?" Minato asked, looking at the class roster in surprise, before finding her name. "Huh… what do ya know?"

"I take it you two are rather close," she said, before smirking slightly. "I certainly hope for the sake of your dorm-mates that the rooms are soundproofed."

Minato spluttered at that jab slightly. "Yukari and I haven't seen each other in ten years, Nayuki-san!" he raised his voice. "I'd like to at least _wait_ until I know whether or not I can stay in the dorm near her properly _before_ I do anything!"

Nayuki chuckled. "Right, right, gotcha," she said. "Come on, we should find the Faculty Office and check in."

"Down the hall on the school store side," a brown-haired boy in the school uniform pointed towards the correct hall, "second-to-last door on the left."

"Thanks," Nayuki replied, before heading off in that direction, Minato following her.

* * *

 _0755, April 7th, 2009_

* * *

"Ah, so you're the new transfer students?" a brown-haired teacher asked as the two walked into the office. "Minato Arisato and Nayuki Kinomoto, Eleventh Grade, correct?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Nayuki said.

"You got it right," Minato nodded.

"A pleasure to meet the both of you," she said. "I'm Isako Toriumi, I teach composition, welcome to our school."

"Thank you, Toriumi-sensei," Nayuki replied.

"Yeah, thank you," Minato bowed in respect.

She nodded, before getting out a clipboard. "Sorry about this, but we're so busy around here, I haven't had much time to read your files beforehand… you've been to a lot of different places, Minato-kun."

"Yeah," Minato nodded sadly. "It comes with the territory of being an orphan, having to be juggled around like some balls in the hands of a monkey pretending to be a clown."

"Oh!" the Teacher replied, looking the file over quickly. "Right… your parents died around ten years ago, right?" she asked, sadly. "…sorry if I brought up unpleasant memories…"

"No, it's not your fault," Minato shook his head. "I just happen to be one of those unlucky enough to have been juggled around with my little sisters between different family members on both sides of the family… both the Arisato side and the Shirogane side."

"Right," Isako replied, before shifting over to Nayuki's file. "It says here you've been homeschooled all your life, Nayuki-chan."

"Yeah," Nayuki replied. "I'm a bit of an orphan, too - or at least, if my parents are still alive they haven't looked for me. Ever since I was six, I was raised by an Antiques Dealer/Jewelcrafter named Wajima. He's helped me a lot, and is like a grandfather to me."

Minato looked at Nayuki curiously, before he shook his head slightly. "It's probably best to not deal with this right now, sensei," he said. "I think we'd best get to class soon, right?"

"Oh, right," Isako said. "You're both in 2-F - that's my class. But before that, we have the welcoming ceremony in the auditorium. Follow me."

The two nodded, and followed her.

* * *

 _0800, April 7th, 2009_

* * *

The Principal of the high school had a way of making his words duller than needed, which was annoying to Minato at least. It seemed that he was about to go to sleep again when—

"*psst* Hey!" a student whispered to him from behind.

"Yeah?" Minato asked.

"You came to school with Yukari-san this morning, didn't you?" the other student, a male, asked him.

"Yeah, I just moved into the same dorm with her," Minato replied. "Definitely interesting, given that we were childhood friends and I wasn't expecting to be in the same dorm."

"Really? If you're her childhood friend…" the other student said, before he had a thought enter his head. "Do you know if she has a boyfriend?"

"Last saw her ten years ago, so I wouldn't know…" Minato replied. "We kept in touch through mail, though, and she hasn't said anything about a boyfriend, but we were close enough… and she is _very_ attractive, now… I'm kinda hopeful she's interested…"

"So you know her that well, huh?" the other student asked him.

Before more talking between them could occur, however, a teacher from another class called out, "I hear talking! I think it's someone from Toriumi-sensei's class!"

"Shh!" Isako whispered to them. "Be quiet! You're going to get me in trouble!"

* * *

 _1500 (After School), April 7th, 2009_

* * *

Minato and Nayuki were getting up from their respective seats and walking to the exit when they were stopped by a student wearing a baseball cap. "Sup, dudes?" he asked. "How's it goin'?"

"Going alright," Nayuki replied. "And you are…?"

"Me?" the student asked. "I'm Junpei Iori! I transferred here when I was in 8th Grade. I know how tough it is bein' the new kid… so I wanted to say, 'hey.' …See what a nice guy I am!"

Nayuki chuckled a bit.

At that moment, Yukari walked over, catching the group's attention. "Hey, it's Yuka-tan!" Junpei called out. "Didn't think we'd be in the same class again."

"At it again, huh?" Yukari asked. "Honestly, you'll talk to _anyone_ if they'll listen. You ever think you might be _bothering_ someone?"

Before Junpei could counter that, Minato asked, "And what's with the nickname you gave Yukari? I don't think she likes it."

"What?! But, I—" Junpei finally got to saying, before he realized what Minato had said. "Wait… how well _do_ you two know each other?"

"Our parents were old friends," Yukari admitted. "We were pretty close growing up. Last saw each other ten years ago, but we've kept in touch through mail."

Junpei bugged his eyes out, before he shook his head. "I… see," he said. "Well, I was just curious, but… what's up with you two walking to school together? I mean, seriously, that doesn't make sense to me."

"He's been assigned to my dorm, at least temporarily," Yukari replied. "Mitsuru-senpai asked me to show him the way to school."

Junpei nodded in understanding, before scratching the back of his neck. "So… does this mean you're off the market to anyone that isn't your friend?"

Yukari blushed. "Um… I…" she tried speaking, but not much would get out of her mouth. And before she could try further, Mitsuru walked in.

"Kinomoto, could I have a word with you?" Mitsuru asked Nayuki.

"Um, sure thing, Senpai," Nayuki replied.

"Let's talk and walk at the same time," Mitsuru said, before walking out the door of the classroom.

Minato, meanwhile, asked, "Is there a place where Yukari and I can talk in private?"

"Y… yeah…" Yukari replied, regaining her composure. "The Roof's usually empty at this time of day… come on, I'll show you the way."

"Uh, guys," Junpei spoke up again. "What about the Archery Team?"

"Oh, yeah, we did have a meeting…" Yukari muttered, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head. "Minato, why don't you have Junpei show you the way to the roof, and I'll meet you there when I'm done?"

Minato nodded, before saying, "I'll see you up there." Turning his attention to Junpei, he asked, "Care to lead the way?"

"Uh, sure," Junpei replied. "Um… this way."

The two then left the classroom, Junpei leading Minato to the rooftop before heading on his way, leaving Minato to wait for Yukari.

* * *

Mitsuru waited a bit for Nayuki to catch up, before she walked on towards the exit, the younger female walking behind her. "I take it you're familiar with the workings of the hidden world?" she asked.

"Yeah," Nayuki replied. "I've been able to experience it for a while, I guess, but over the past year I've had to be up during that time more often, meaning I've been able to experience it more."

Mitsuru looked at Nayuki from the corner of her eyes. "What exactly is your reason for knowing about the Dark Hour, then?" she asked.

"Well, first, never knew it had an official name," Nayuki replied. "Thanks for that. As for why I'd know about it… well…" she shifted her school jacket enough to reveal her inactive Driver and her Rings. "I'm not exactly normal, myself…"

Mitsuru's eyes widened a bit, before she asked, "You mean to say you're like this W person that's been showing up in the news every so often?"

"W… Double?" Nayuki asked. "I've heard of them, and yeah, I'm somewhat similar, but also different. I'm the one called… Kamen Rider Wizard."

"Shouldn't it be 'Witch' in your case?" Mitsuru asked, eyebrow raised. "I mean, you're an obvious female… why go with 'Wizard'?"

"It's sort of a catch-all term for those of us who can use Wizard Stone Magic," Nayuki replied. "Regardless of gender, anyone who uses that magic is called a Wizard. Never really used the term Kamen Rider until I ran into the previous Rider, Fourze, a little over a year ago, but until then I'd just gone by 'Wizard', or 'The Ringed Wizard' sometimes."

Mitsuru nodded in understanding. "Well, what do your main enemies call you, per chance?"

"'Magician', or 'The Ringed Magician'," Nayuki replied. "Of course, Phantoms are creatures born of magic and despair, so it makes sense they'd call me something like that."

"I bet," Mitsuru nodded. "So, is there any proof you're the real Wizard?"

Nayuki nodded, before taking out one of her Rings. "I could use some recon, anyway…" she said, putting the Ring on her right hand before placing it over the inactive Driver.

" ** _GARUDA, PLEASE!_** " the belt intoned, as what looked to be a plastic model tray appeared before her, the parts flying out of the tray before assembling into her most well-known PlaMonster, the Red Garuda. Nayuki placed the Garuda Ring in the central slot of the figure, bringing it to life as it chirped at her.

"Take a look around the facilities here and get a feel for the layout," Nayuki told it. "I might need you for recon later, and I don't want you getting lost."

The Garuda chirped, and then flew away.

Mitsuru looked surprised at the usage of the Red Garuda, before she turned to Nayuki and said, "You're legitimate."

"Thanks," Nayuki said. "So… despite knowing a bit about the… Dark Hour… I don't know all the details. I'm assuming you do?"

"I do," Mitsuru answered. "but I can't speak of them right now… we're still at school now."

"Alright," Nayuki replied. "Perhaps we can meet privately later… sometime within the next few days, maybe?"

Mitsuru nodded, before she asked, "Which direction is it to your hotel? I think there might be better off."

Nayuki thought, then replied, "I could lead you there, myself - I'm assuming the Motorcycle with the 'KIRIJO1' License plate is yours?"

Mitsuru nodded, looking at said Motorcycle. "Yes, it's mine," she answered.

As they arrived at the Bike Racks, Nayuki unchained Machine Winger. "Come on, it's not that far from here," she said, getting onto the bike and starting the engine.

* * *

Minato waited for Yukari to show up at the roof of the school for what seemed to be an hour before she showed up on the roof, in her normal uniform. "Hey," he called out to her.

"Hey, Minato," she replied, walking over to him. "Been waiting long?"

"It felt like an hour, but I wouldn't know, since I didn't check my phone yet," he answered. "So… how've you been?"

"I've been alright," she said. "Life was a bit rough, what with Dad dying about the same time as your parents in an explosion at the Kirijo lab, and Mom essentially becoming a prostitute… I'm not on the best of terms with her, as you can imagine."

Minato winced at the description of what Yukari was saying. "No wonder…" Minato said. "I just hope you don't end up like her for whatever reason."

"Yeah, I know," Yukari replied. "Honestly, there's only been one guy I've ever been interested in…"

Minato raised his eyebrows at that. "Only one guy…? I take it you mean among your mother's boyfriends to take over for your dad?" he asked.

"No… more like one guy I've ever been interested in in a romantic fashion," Yukari replied. "Mom's gone for style over substance… most of her flings only last a few months, tops… she's just trying to fill a void… I only want a relationship with someone I care about, and only one guy I've met has ever fit that criteria…"

Minato felt down in the dumps when he heard Yukari say that. "I take it you found someone else…?" he asked. "I mean, that'd be why you added the -kun at the end of my name, right?"

Yukari blinked. "No… that's not it," she said. "I hadn't seen you in so long, the -kun slipped out almost instinctively… Minato… I… I… Oh, screw it." She then pulled him into an embrace, and touched her lips to his.

Minato's eyes widened, before he started getting into the kiss, closing his eyes in the process and opening his mouth to her.

Yukari accepted the invitation, tongue slipping out from her mouth to begin exploring his, moaning into the kiss as she tasted the inside of his mouth…

It was at that moment when a loud coughing noise was heard from the door to the roof. "Okay, you two," Isako called out. "I understand you two are lovebirds, but could you wait until after you made it back to the dormitory?"

Yukari blushed as the two parted from the kiss. "S… sorry, sensei…" she said.

Isako sighed. "I know," she said. "Just be grateful that it wasn't Ekoda here, instead of me."

Yukari nodded. "Yeah, he's almost as bad as the Principal at putting people to sleep," she said. She then turned to Minato. "Come on, Minato. Let's… continue our discussion… back at the dorm."

Minato simply nodded in agreement.

* * *

Mitsuru and Nayuki made it to the Holiday Inn Iwatodai, after having to sift through the traffic that was between them and the school, and walked over to Nayuki's room. On the way over, Mitsuru asked, "Tell me, Kinomoto, do you know of the term 'Persona'?"

"Not really," Nayuki admitted. "Why?"

"Well," Mitsuru began, "it's the basis of how people tend to operate in the Dark Hour. Those who have the 'potential' to use a Persona are able to exist in the Dark Hour as if under normal circumstances… and to summon a Persona in those circumstances. Then again, there are those who can't use a Persona that are active in the Dark Hour, but I don't know the whole details behind that."

"Huh… Interesting…" Nayuki remarked. "I wonder if this 'potential' is tied into being a Gate at all…"

"A what?" Mitsuru asked.

"A Gate is a term used for someone with magical potential," Nayuki informed. "Normally they can't use it, but if they're driven to absolute despair, a Phantom is born within them. Under normal circumstances, it will break out, killing the 'host', and can assume the form of said host and take their place. However, there are two ways to prevent this. The first is holding onto hope of some kind, which traps the Phantom within, and afterwards grants the ability to use Wizard Rings. Otherwise, someone who uses those rings, like myself, can enter into that person's Underworld, or a mindscape centered around their happiest memory which their Inner Phantom is trying to destroy, and take out the Phantom before it can do that. That, however, means the person can never use magic of any kind."

"I see what you mean…" Mitsuru nodded in understanding.

While Mitsuru and Nayuki were talking, a glowing blue butterfly formed in the latter's hotel room, when the windows were closed. By the time they made it to the door to her room, the butterfly was fully formed, waiting for them to enter.

When Nayuki opened the door, she saw the butterfly and asked, "Huh? What's a butterfly doing in here? I don't remember opening any windows…"

Mitsuru walked over to the windows at that. "I don't think these windows were opened, Kinomoto," she said.

"Then how…?" Nayuki asked.

At that moment, the butterfly started flying around them, getting the two of them to see more of it. Normally, Mitsuru would ignore the butterfly, but she was honestly curious… was it real?

"This is definitely not my normal weirdness…" Nayuki remarked. "What is going on…?"

By that point, the butterfly stopped, even as Mitsuru and Nayuki felt their vision fade on them… and then they collapsed.

* * *

As Nayuki's vision returned, she saw she was… nowhere near her hotel, or likely anywhere near her plane of reality. Looking around, she saw Mitsuru nearby, looking as confused as she was. "Where is this place…?" she asked.

Before Mitsuru could reply to that, however, a man materialized in their field of vision on the middle platform… a man wearing primarily white, with a butterfly mask on his face, the left half with decorations on it (unlike the right half). Bowing in the Western bowing style, he said, "Welcome… it's a pleasure to meet you. I am Philemon… a dweller between consciousness and unconsciousness. And now, a simple test… can you state your names?"

"Nayuki Kinomoto," Nayuki said.

"Mitsuru Kirijo," Mitsuru answered.

"Splendid," Philemon said, nodding at that. "There aren't many who can remember their identity when in this domain. It seems you've passed that test." Pointing at the two females, he stated, "But tell me this!" Lowering his hand, he asked, "Are you aware of the many and varied selves you harbor within you?"

"Huh?" Nayuki asked.

"What are you talking about?" Mitsuru added. "And what is this place?"

"This place is where the conscious thought and the unconscious thought converge," Philemon answered. "It's where I reside as an aspect of humanity. As for what I mean… The self suffused with divine love… the self capable of demonic cruelty… people live by wearing different masks. Your current selves may be only one each of those innumerable masks."

"…Interesting…" Mitsuru remarked.

"Never thought about it like that…" Nayuki added. "Of course, often masks can be shattered, even by something relatively innocuous… despair can be such a powerful emotion…"

"Indeed," Philemon answered with a nod, before holding out his right hand. "You, though… you both have very firm grips on your identities. I respect your strong wills. In return, I grant this power… Persona. It is the power to summon the selves within you… the Gods and the Demons you harbor."

Mitsuru looked surprised at that. "Wait… Persona?" she asked.

Philemon nodded, before an image materialized over his hand, the image of Mitsuru's Persona. "Currently, your Persona is limited… limited to your current status," he said. "Despair is more than just an emotion… it is also a weapon capable of destroying humanity. Be sure to cherish the power you have as it is… and be sure to accept my gift of how to retain your Persona later."

Mitsuru nodded, as the image seemed to fade into sparkles that were absorbed into her form.

Nayuki, meanwhile, said, "So… the power of Persona that Mitsuru talked about… the form she was familiar with _is_ connected with Gates somehow… but you can grant a version that's not tied to a Gate's potential?"

Philemon nodded, before he said, "A Persona connected to a Gate is typically lost in a short amount of time compared to the ones I give. However, in order for a Gate to get used to the Persona I grant, they would need to be limited in what Forms they can use at the time… especially in your case, Nayuki Kinomoto."

She pondered that for a moment. "So… gaining a Persona means I won't have access to my stronger Styles and Spells… at least until my Persona has become strong enough to… handle them, I guess… is that what you're saying?" she asked.

"Indeed," Philemon answered with a nod, before he materialized a second Persona over his hand. "Now… do you accept this Persona?"

Nayuki thought for a moment, and nodded. "I do," she said. "I can sense the power you hold. If you're offering something like that to me… it's likely because I'm going to need it." The Persona again faded into sparkles that were absorbed into her form.

"The time is soon when you will need this power," Philemon said, getting their attention. "Now… you must return to your proper time and place."

With that, both Mitsuru and Nayuki faded from the platform, leaving Philemon alone for the time being.

* * *

Yukari led Minato into her dorm room, closing it behind them and locking it to ensure that no one could disturb them. "So… I… I'm glad you… like me in the same way I like you…" she said.

Minato nodded, before he said, "I truly love you… Yukari. I just hope that this time can last… well, forever, I'd say."

Yukari smiled. "Yeah… I hope so, too… I want to spend the rest of my life with you… if possible, I'd even like to be the mother of your children…"

Minato simply nodded at that, before he embraced Yukari again. "I would be happy to be the father of your children," he said, before kissing her square on the lips.

Yukari moaned into the kiss, even as her tongue moved out to explore Minato's mouth again…

Minato moved his own tongue out to explore Yukari's mouth at that exact time, intertwining their tongues at that moment in a tongue battle… which resulted in Minato winning.

As Minato proceeded to explore the inside of her mouth, Yukari could feel her arousal beginning to grow. She slipped one of her hands down along Minato's shirt, slipping underneath his pants and underwear, and began stroking his cock, which she noticed was already beginning to harden.

Minato moaned in pleasure from his growing erection being helped along, while he assisted in getting Yukari's clothes off, starting with her shirt.

As her shirt was removed, Minato saw that rather than wearing a bra, she had bound her chest, rather tightly, at that. Upon seeing his gaze there, she blushed as they broke the kiss. "They… sometimes got in the way during practice…" she said. "Not to mention the looks from the guys… and some of the girls…"

Minato opened his mouth in an 'oh' manner, before he asked, "Why don't you give them a reason to worry about what happens if they try anything? That might help keep them away from you when you don't want them to do more than what's necessary."

"That… could work…" she remarked, even as she undid the bindings and let her breasts out, revealing their F-Cup/borderline G-Cup size.

Minato let out a long and low whistle. "Now, that's what I'm talking about," he said. "I hope you're ready for special… attention… from me."

"Y… yes…" Yukari moaned in arousal, even as she lowered her skirt, revealing her panties to him. "Please… Minato… make love to me…"

Minato nodded, before he remembered something. "Hold on, need to remove my clothes…" he said.

"Here, let me help you…" Yukari replied, as she worked to pull down his pants and underwear, freeing his erection. "Wow… so big…"

Minato nodded again. "I don't know how come I was this gifted," he said, "but I don't think I care… you're the only one for me, anyway, Yukari." At that point, he removed his shirts and took Yukari's panties off, revealing to each other their nude forms.

"Thank you, Minato…" she replied, as Minato could see her pussy already dripping in arousal. "You… you're the only one for me, too…" She then lay back on her bed, spreading her legs wide. "Please… take me…"

Minato didn't have to be told twice, as he went onto her bed with her, lining up into her pussy with his cock. "Alright… ready?" he asked.

She nodded, bracing herself. "My virginity is yours to take, Minato…" she told him.

Minato nodded, before he pushed into her as gently as he could. "Too slow?" he asked with a grunt.

"I… it's fine…" Yukari moaned in reply. "Ohhhhhhh… it's filling me up so much…"

Minato grunted in understanding, before he felt himself being blocked by a wall in her pussy. "Er… hard and fast, or same rate?" he asked. "I'm at a wall…"

"Do it quickly…" she replied, bracing herself for the pain. "Take my virginity, Minato…"

Minato nodded, before he backed up in her pussy for a short bit… and rammed right past the hymen.

Yukari let out a soft yelp as her hymen was broken, but moaned afterwards as the pleasure of her pussy being filled overwhelmed the pain, even as a few trickles of blood leaked from her pussy as a side-effect of the breaking of her hymen…

Minato moved his hands up to Yukari's breasts, hoping to see if they were as real as she claimed they were, and hoping to ensure that she was pleasured better.

"Oh… yes…" Yukari moaned as his hands fondled her breasts, feeling her pleasure rising. "Minato… that feels so good…"

Minato smiled softly at that. "You make me feel good, Yukari," he said, before he picked up the pace more on his thrusting.

"Ohhh… Ahhhn…" Yukari moaned, even as she shifted her hips to try and match Minato's thrusts… though it wasn't exactly perfect, this being both their first times, the pleasure was much greater than any pain that came from their inexperience.

Minato grunted, feeling his balls about ready to explode. "Y… Yukari… I… gotta… cum…!" he exclaimed.

"M… me, too!" Yukari moaned, feeling as if a coil had wound itself tightly within her pussy. "Please… cum… with me… cum… inside me… I want it… so much!"

Minato nodded, before he let out a bellow as a thick and dense amount of cum went into her womb.

Yukari screamed her pleasure to the heavens, her juices flooding from her pussy even as it spasmed around Minato's cock, milking it for every last drop of cum.

Moments later, the two of them dropped onto the bed proper, both of them really tired from what happened. "G… good night, Yukari," Minato said.

"Y… yeah… good night, Minato…" Yukari replied, as the two of them nodded off.

Neither truly aware of the consequences… or rewards, depending on how you looked at it… of their activities that night…

* * *

 _Dark Hour, April 9th, 2009_

* * *

Nayuki was patrolling the Dark Hour on Machine Winger, her Driver On and Flame Style Rings on and ready to be used at any time.

Given what Mitsuru had told her, and the meeting with that Philemon person, she figured it would be better to be ready to fight these 'Shadows' Mitsuru had told her about, on the off chance she ran into them.

While she was driving through town, she ended up nearly running into one of her senpai at school, resulting in her skidding to a halt.

"Oh, sorry, senpai, didn't see you until I'd rounded that corner," she said after she'd stopped.

"It's fine… you wouldn't happen to know where the SEES dormitory is, would you?" the senpai asked her. "I'm Akihiko Sanada, by the way."

"A pleasure to meet you, Akihiko-senpai," she said. "I'm Nayuki Kinomoto. As for the dormitory, I think I remember where it is - I gave Minato-san a ride there my first night in town."

"Care to give me a ride there?" Akihiko asked. "I'm trying to outrun a dangerous foe… don't know what you know of them, Shadows, but they're dangerous."

"Mitsuru-senpai's told me a bit about them," she said. "Get going, I'll hold it off."

Akihiko faced Nayuki more fully and questioned, "And how are you supposed to hold off a Shadow without a Persona? Without a Persona, you're screwed!"

Nayuki stepped off her bike. "Technically I have one, just haven't woken it up yet," she said. "But even if I didn't…" She brought the Driver On Ring to her belt.

" ** _DRIVER ON, PLEASE!_** " the belt intoned, as the simple hand changed to a much larger silvery belt buckle, with switches on both sides, the hand that was on the buckle now looking to be on a bit of a pivot.

"I'm not exactly defenseless," Nayuki continued, before flipping the switches on the sides, causing the hand to flip, now looking like a left hand pointing down and to the right.

" ** _SHABADOOBIE TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE TOUCH TO HENSHIN!_** " the WizarDriver called out as Nayuki brought up her left hand, pressing a hidden mechanism on the Flame Style Ring to bring down the clear portion and reveal the face on the ring.

"Henshin!" Nayuki called out, bringing her left hand, and the Flame Style Ring, down over the Driver.

" ** _FLAME, PLEASE!_** " the voice called out as she flung her arm out to the side, causing a red Magic Circle to appear to her left, flames encircling it as it moved over her. " ** _HII! HII! HII, HII, HII!_** "

Once the Magic Circle had passed over her, Nayuki stood transformed.

Her previous clothes had been exchanged for a full-body black suit that hugged her body, with what looked like an overcoat that was black on the outside and red on the inside stretching down from her waist. On her chest was a block of what looked like red jewels, and she had black, silver-trimmed shoulder armor. On her head was a helmet, silver with a round red face mask, and silver lines running along the upper part to give some semblance of eyes, and a slightly Gundam-like Head Crest.

She had become Kamen Rider Wizard Flame Style.

Akihiko looked stunned by what he just saw. "You mean…" he started to say, before the sound of crawling caught his attention.

"Get going!" Wizard told him again, switching her Driver On Ring for her Connect Ring, switching the WizarDriver back to the right hand, and placing the Connect Ring over it.

" ** _CONNECT, PLEASE!_** " The WizarDriver intoned as a magic circle appeared to her right, Wizard reaching into it and pulling out her WizarSwordGun.

The mass of Shadow decided to prioritize her as the more dangerous threat, charging for her when Akihiko ran on to the dorm, even as it attempted to try following after him.

"Saa, Showtime da," Wizard said, seconds before opening fire with the WizarSwordGun, silver bullets flying out of the gun and impacting the Shadow, even as she rolled out of the way of the Shadow's charge.

The Shadow recoiled slightly from the bullets, though the damage was done to it, especially since silver was more potent against it than normal bullets. Even so, it still went charging against her, doing what it could to fight her.

She switched the WizarSwordGun to Sword Mode as it drew close, slashing at it before moving away again.

The Shadow felt a large amount of pain from the slash, though it kept on going, even if it was a bit more sluggish than normal.

Wizard slashed at it again, glad she was at least doing _some_ damage, even if it didn't seem like much.

The Shadow suddenly pulsed a pale green, summoning another Shadow in its place, before it tried to go around Wizard… even as the other Shadow hurled a fireball at her.

She grunted in pain as she was flung backwards, which didn't make much sense to her - she was in her Fire elemental form! That fire spell shouldn't have done as much damage as it did!

Not only did the fire spell the new Shadow cast at her do a lot of damage, the newcomer sped towards her faster than the speed of a sneeze, which… was really fast. With that, the Shadow slapped her across the face, sending her to her bum.

"Owowowowow…" Wizard muttered as she got back to her feet. "This is certainly proving more difficult than I anticipated…"

Even as she spoke, the Shadow seemed ready to remind her that Talking Is Not A Free Action, even as it sent a second fireball at her… which she barely dodged at all.

"Jeez!" she said as she could feel her left side get singed. "At the rate things are going…"

The Shadow pulsed a pale green as well, calling forth a _third_ Shadow… the second one to stay with her as a combatant, this one seemed ready to fire off chunks of ice.

"Great…" Nayuki muttered. "Now would be as good a time as any for that Persona Philemon gave me to wake up…" She made to switch Spell Rings again…

 _"_ _Thou art I… and I am thou…"_

"Huh?" Nayuki asked, pausing. Time seemed to have frozen around her, the Shadows being completely still… and she noticed a card forming in her right hand.

 _"_ _From the sea of thy soul I cometh…"_

She brought the card up and took a look at it. There seemed to be an image forming on it, similar to the appearance of the figure that Philemon had shown her, her Persona, she guessed.

 _"_ _I shall lend thee my strength in times of need…"_

Nayuki felt her heart thumping in anticipation, so to speak, even as the word to summon her Persona sprang to the forefront of her mind. When she raised her right hand in front of her face, the Shadows started moving again, trying to prevent her from summoning her Persona…

"Per… so… na!"

…but it was too late. With a crashing sound, the card was crushed, and a woman wearing what seemed to be a cross between a toga and a yukata, holding onto a glaive and a pair of samurai gloves, formed from behind Nayuki.

 _"_ _Twin sister of Apollo, guardian of the huntresses, I am Artemis, Lady of the Moon!"_

As Artemis continued to advance, the Shadows formed into something more substantial… something more corporeal, even. In fact… they turned into zombies.

She turned to face the enemies, and said, "OK… let's see what we can do now…"

As the zombies moved on forward toward Nayuki, a spell formed in her mind, which fit the way the zombies would pass on… once and for all.

"Artemis, **Mahama**!" she called out, as her Persona unleashed a blast of holy energy at the zombies.

The zombies, so singlemindedly focused on their target, didn't get a chance to dodge out of the way of the insta-kill spell for Grave-type foes… they crumbled into dust the moment they were touched by the multi-target Hama ability.

As the last of the zombies crumbled away, Nayuki sighed behind her helmet. It looked like it was over, but she didn't want to say anything… and she'd been roughed up a decent bit by the Shadows before they'd transformed, too…

Suddenly, a burst of light appeared over a building in the nearby vicinity, which was funny, since it looked like said building was the… SEES… dormitory…

Dismissing her Persona for the moment, she leapt onto Machine Winger, gunning it towards the dormitory - given how powerful what she'd been facing was, there was a chance they might need her help.

* * *

 _Meanwhile_

* * *

Minato looked at Yukari's Evoker gun, which had been knocked out of her hands, and felt that his destiny was being forged ahead of him. He couldn't look back, and he couldn't hesitate, so he did the first thing he thought to do other than those two. He picked up the gun and, after hearing the boy from three nights before encourage him somehow, placed it against his head, heart pounding all the while… even as he said, "Per… so… na."

With that, he pulled the trigger, and a welcome presence overflowed from him. _"Thou art I… and I am thou… from the sea of thy soul I cometh. I am Orpheus, master of strings!"_ the voice of his Persona called from his soul.

Yukari, a bit out of it but still conscious, looked in awe at Minato's Persona… an awe which turned to worry as it began convulsing, a cry of agony erupting from Minato's mouth.

When the convulsing was about to stop, a pair of hands emerged from Orpheus' mouth, spitting the Persona in half and revealing an entirely different Persona… a being more mechanical than Orpheus would ever be, with a creepy skull on it that was likely to be alive as well, and wings that looked to be a dozen swords, the thirteenth sword in its right hand. This was a being ready to kill, regardless of who or what the target was.

The Persona then proceeded to charge the Shadow before it… a mass of arms, some holding knives, and one holding a mask, and Yukari watched as it just tore the Shadow to pieces.

With a howl reminiscent of a wolf in the middle of its hunt, the Persona Thanatos finished the killing spree, moments before shifting into the form of Orpheus once more.

Yukari moved over to Minato, worried about her lover. "Is it… is it over?" she asked.

"You just _had_ to tempt Murphy, didn't you?" Minato asked, before he pointed at a large group of Shadows that were headed their way.

At that point, though, they could hear a voice call out " ** _HURRICANE, PLEASE! FUU-FUU! FUU-FUU-FUU-FUU!_** " before a flash of green light came from the alleyway below, and up flew Kamen Rider Wizard, though the ruby-like portions of her armor were now emerald-like, the red inner fabric on her overcoat had become green, and her visor was now a triangular shape.

She was now in her Wind Element form, Hurricane Style.

Almost as soon as she flew up, she somersaulted down onto the rooftop, slashing into the Shadows on the Rooftop before summoning Artemis once more. "Artemis! **Magaru**!" she called out, as her Persona unleashed a large blast of wind on the Shadows still untouched by her WizarSwordGun.

Minato rushed forward to the remaining group of Shadows and summoned Orpheus again. "Orpheus! **Bash**!" he called out, bashing a Cowardly Maya that was trying to get at Wizard with Orpheus' harp. Seeing that the Shadows were trying to get him this time again, he decided to bash the rest of them, but he realized that he couldn't just yet, as the Shadows seemed to realize that he was a dangerous foe. With five more Cowardly Mayas attempting to strike him, he barely dodged each of them and made them 'fall', before he motioned for Nayuki to finish the job.

She nodded, shifting back to Flame Style, then opening up the hand on her WizarSwordGun, which intoned " ** _COME ON AND SLASH, SHAKE HANDS!_** " before she placed her left hand and the Flame Style ring over the hand on the WizarSwordGun.

" ** _FLAME, SLASH STRIKE! HII HII HII! HII HII HII!_** " the WizarSwordGun called out as she slashed with her sword, sending out shockwaves of fire that destroyed the remaining Cowardly Mayas.

Minato nodded towards Wizard, saying, "Thanks, Wiz…ard…" before he passed out.

As both Wizard and Yukari rushed over to him, Wizard de-transforming to Nayuki in the process, Nayuki thought, ' _What's this presence… it's almost like there's a Phantom nearby._ '

And that was a thought that made her somewhat nervous. Because if she was going to have to fight Phantoms and Shadows at the same time… things might just start going to hell in a handbasket in a hurry.

* * *

Shuji Ikutsuki looked in abject horror at the sight of a Persona-using Kamen Rider… he didn't know how it happened, but frankly, he didn't want to find out. He might be a scientist, but he wasn't suicidal, not in a trillion years.

Not to mention, this was the Rider that was the antithesis to his 'kind', the Ringed Magician. As Mitsuru and Akihiko went to help Yukari and the Magician with Minato, Ikutsuki made his way out of the dorm, quietly slipping down the stairs as he left through the front door, guessing (correctly) that she had parked her bike in the back alley. ' _Still,_ ' he thought. ' _This changes our plans little. The first Seal is now broken. We will gain our strength, break the remaining seals… and unleash the Green Sabbath upon all of mankind. Not even a Persona-using Magician can stop us._ '

Especially since those plans had coincided with the goals of his true master, the one who had spared him the same fate that befell his comrades from his time under Wiseman, who wanted to end the Human Race as a whole… the Crawling Chaos itself.

* * *

 **Xamusel: FINISHED!**

 **…** **sorry, don't know where that came from. Anyway, review corner for the previous chapter first, then a notice on what gets updated next, followed by a few paragraphs or so from Takeshi.**

 **…wait. What the heck? Nobody decided to review? What did we do wrong?! No, seriously, that's a very legitimate question I think Takeshi and I would love to have answered. Now, if we did so much wrong that it's not even funny, be sure to tell us post haste. Whatever we did wrong, anything at all, please tell us what's off.**

 ** **…o** kay, the next story to be updated will be this one, since more writing has been done to keep things interesting for you all. It should be updated on Saturday, September 12th, 2015** ** **… if all goes well.** Thank you for understanding that.**

 **Now… Takeshi's turn.**

* * *

 **Takeshi Yamato: And so the story begins again…**

 **First up, the first meeting with Philemon. This is why we didn't have Nayuki sign her own Contract in the Prologue. That had felt… forced, in hindsight, tbh, so I replaced it with her Persona actually limiting access to her more powerful Styles until it gets stronger.**

 **Second, Minato/Yukari. Yes, they are in a relationship almost from the get-go - being childhood friends who stay in touch by mail allows that. Yes, they have had sex. Yes, this will have consequences, which will be seen in the next couple of chapters.**

 **And lastly, Nayuki's Persona. Her Persona in the previous version used Light and Ice skills. Artemis, on the other hand, is what I'm calling a Variable Persona. She has Hama Skills no matter what, but her other elemental properties depend on Nayuki's currently active Style. When she gets her Dragon Styles back, Artemis will gain the stronger-level spells, and when Infinity Style returns… well, let's just say Artemis might get a bit OP at that point.**

 **So… until next time! :D**

* * *

 **PS from Xamusel: Oh, right** **, almost forgot something. Do you guys even _want_ to pay to see us post this series or any other story on the site? Be honest about this** **… honesty matters a lot to me, as well as to Takeshi, so tell the truth. If you would rather not pay to see us update** ** **…** well, your prerogative, not ours.**

 **Thank you for your cooperation on this subject.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Xamusel: Well… here's the new chapter, everyone. Before I forget, I'd like to at least introduce my reason for needing cash: Maria Elana Fates. She's a young girl who is as sweet as can be… and she lives in the Dominican Republic. That is the primary reason why I need to get cash to her… to help her go to school and do other things that we take for granted in the better-off parts of the world.**

 **Anyway, not much can be said on her, since I don't know much of what she likes by this point… and I don't want people wondering about this sort of situation any further. Therefore, I shall say this: If you want me to reveal more on her, at least wait until I can get more from her in terms of info!**

 **Now, then… The Wheel Of Fate Is Turning! Rebel 1,** ** _Action_** **!**

* * *

 **A Wizard in Iwatodai Ultimate Rewrite Edition**  
 _Story written by Xamusel and Takeshi Yamato_

* * *

 _0047, April 10th, 2009_

* * *

The Dark Hour had ended, and Akihiko and Yukari were helping Minato get to the hospital. Meanwhile, Mitsuru had invited Nayuki into the dorm, and had explained the situation further.

"So… these Shadows somehow turn their victims into living zombies, hence the cases of Apathy Syndrome?" Nayuki asked Mitsuru, even as the two had a late-night snack - namely Plain Sugar Donuts and tea.

"I'm afraid so, Kinomoto," Mitsuru replied to Nayuki. "It's not something the public has any knowledge about how to stop, I'm afraid, especially since people in the Kirijo Group want to keep it quiet."

"I see… that makes a little sense," Nayuki replied. "What with only certain people able to experience the Dark Hour, it's likely easier to cover it up than to potentially incite mass panic."

Mitsuru nodded, even as she took one of the donuts and tried dunking it in her tea. "In any case, Kinomoto," she said, getting the younger girl's attention. "I would like to request that you join the SEES club… Student Extracurricular Execution Squad, which is dedicated to fighting the Shadows, instead of being just a normal club."

"That sounds alright," Nayuki replied. "I'd likely need a group, anyway, given how big the problem is, but neither of my partner Riders, Beast and Mage, are in the area. Plus, we can also turn this into a place of refuge for those with the Potential, seeing as how they're also Gates, and I sensed a Phantom nearby near the end of the Dark Hour, though no idea where - meaning there's likely more."

Mitsuru nodded, until she heard the last part. "Wait… did you just say that you sensed a Phantom nearby, Kinomoto?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah… though again, I couldn't place its exact location," she said, a brief melancholy look entering her eyes. "Koyomi, my… girlfriend, I guess… was better at sensing them than I was, before she… died…" The melancholy look left her eyes as she looked up. "Why do you ask?"

"I was worried about who it could be, in case you were saying what you did," Mitsuru answered. "I just hope that it's not someone that is imperative to the survival of SEES…"

"Agreed," Nayuki replied. "Well, can't do too much about it right now, I guess, though we'll have to stay vigilant." She shrugged. "Shall we find me a room for the night? We can get my stuff from the Holiday Inn after school."

Mitsuru nodded, before a thought entered her mind. "Kinomoto… are you a lesbian?" she asked.

"I… guess I am, yeah," she said. "Koyomi was with me ever since the first Black Sabbath Ritual, and I… I guess I never thought about liking guys that way."

Mitsuru felt herself cheering mentally, before she quashed that cheer. She didn't know why she was cheering, but now was not the time for it at all. "I… see…" she said at last. "Well, I hope you find the right person for you, at least."

"Thank you," Nayuki replied. "Now, let's see about that room…"

"Ah, right," Mitsuru nodded, before standing up to help Nayuki find the right floor. "Follow me, please."

* * *

 _The magic rings, the Wizard Rings._

(A red magic circle appears over a black background. Four lights appear at the main corners of the Circle, from which appear the Flame, Water, Hurricane, and Land Style Rings.)

 _They shine on both hands of the modern mage._

(The Rings float in different directions, Water, Hurricane, and Land going off the screen as Flame lands on Nayuki's left middle finger as she appears silhouetted in front of the magic circle, Driver On Ring on her right middle finger)

 _As she changes despair into hope._

(A close-up image of Nayuki's head and shoulders, still silhouetted, as the helmet and upper outfit of Wizard Flame Style super-impose themselves over her form.)

 **(BGM: Life is SHOW TIME [TV Version])**

 _Maji ka? Maji de? Maji da! Showtime!_ _ **(Seriously [it's magic]!? Really!? I'm serious! Show Time!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style does a few spins in various positions relative to a red magic circle on a white background, before appearing on Winger WizarDragon, which flies off the screen before WizarDragon flies back onto the screen, lobbing a fireball from its mouth as Wizard releases a Magic Circle from her ring before the flash resolves into the title logo.)

 _Maru de tsuki to taiyou_ _ **(It's like the shock)**_

(Nayuki is seen standing atop the Iwatodai Dorms building, overlooking the whole town, before the scene shifts to a solar eclipse, then to Wizard Flame Style spinning to face her right, and finally to Nayuki spinning to face her left.)

 _Kasanaru toki no shougeki_ _ **(When the moon and the sun collide!)**_

(Nayuki stands in the middle of a crowded street, head down, before raising it somewhat to look at a boy in a style similar to that of a jailbird, who looks up to reveal Pharos.)

 _Dare datte kiseki shinjite mitai_ _ **(Everyone wants to believe in a miracle)**_

(Pharos lifts his right hand up, the back of it facing Nayuki, and the screen shifts to show them reaching for each other's hand, before it shows them walking across the street to each other, Mitsuru appearing on Pharos' side, Minato showing up on Nayuki's side.)

 _Kitto hitotsu you_ _fukaketsu no ENAJI_ _kokoro no da ne_ _ **(The indispensable energy that people need comes from the heart)**_

(The background shatters, before Mitsuru drives up on her own motorcycle, pulling off her helmet before brandishing her rapier and Evoker. Minato then appears, a silhouetted image of Thanatos behind him. Pharos and Nayuki appear in front of a Velvet Doorway.)

 _Yume to yosou ii imi de uragitte kureru mono_ _ **(Dreams and expectations will betray you in a good way)**_

(Yukari Takeba is seen looking through a tome of magic, while a magic ball shows Nayuki transforming into Kamen Rider Wizard, the ball being held by Pharos.)

 _3! 21! 1! Showtime!_

(The scene shows Pharos' immediate area glowing in light.)

 _Magic Time!_

(Wizard Flame Style is seen in front of a building, jumping and spinning in place.)

 _TRICK ja nai!_ _ **(It's no trick!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style lands on the ground, lifting her right hand to her mask, before lowering her arm.)

 _Mahou HIIRO hanpa nee ze_ _ **(The Magic Hero is no pushover!)**_

(A red magic circle appears under her feet, with three separate magic circles, red, blue, and yellow, underneath the Red Garuda, Blue Unicorn, and Yellow Kraken PlaMonsters respectively, before Wizard Flame Style spins around and sends her familiars out.)

 _Mo-to halelujah_

(Three red magic circles appear around Wizard Flame Style as flames appear behind her.)

 _Kioku no roots moguri-konde kibou sukui-dase_ _ **(Dig into the roots of memory and save that hope!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style leaps through a blue magic circle to her right, becoming Wizard Water Style, then leaps up through a green magic circle to become Hurricane Style, then drops down through a yellow magic circle to become Land Style.)

 _Show Time!_

(Nayuki and Pharos reach for each other's hands and grab them.)

 _Life is showtime! Tobikiri no_ _ **(Life is Showtime! It's exhilerating!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style is seen falling through magic circles.)

 _Unmei to RAIFU mucha shite mo_ _ **(Even if you're reckless with fate and life!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style is riding Machine Winger down a road, as WizarDragon flies up alongside. Machine Winger and WizarDragon combine to form Winger WizarDragon, with Nayuki still riding.)

 _Mo-to halelujah_

(Back with the close up on Nayuki and Pharos' hands, as Nayuki moves the Hope Ring towards Pharos' finger.)

 _Kinou, kyou, ashita, mirai_ _ **(Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, and in the future…)**_

(Nayuki, Minato, Yukari, and Mitsuru are in the Iwatodai dorm, each doing various things. Their positions switch two times, with each switch showing a new set of activities.)

 _Subete no namida wo_ _ **(…all those tears…)**_

(Nayuki is riding Machine Winger, Mitsuru riding behind her.)

 _Show Time!_

(Nayuki finishes sliding the Hope Ring onto Pharos' finger, the ring beginning to light up.)

 _Kouseki ni kaette yaruze_ _ **(…I will change them into jewels!)**_

(Wizard's four main Styles come into view, Flame in the center, Water from the right, Hurricane from above, and Land from the left. The four pose identically as Water, Hurricane, and Land turn into light and merge with Flame.)

 _Maji ka? Maji de? Maji da! Showtime!_ _ **(Seriously [it's magic]!? Really!? I'm serious! Show Time!)**_

(Brief shot of Nayuki holding up her left hand with the Flame Style Ring on it, followed by Wizard Flame Style doing a brief spin and posing in front of Machine Winger, the story logo once again flaming into existence in the foreground.)

* * *

 **Chapter 002:** Time to Move

* * *

 _0230, April 10th, 2009_

* * *

After getting Nayuki a room (right next door from Mitsuru, as a matter of fact), the two drove over to Tatsumi Memorial Hospital, to check on Minato.

Upon arriving at the hospital room where the young man was placed, Mitsuru asked the doctor, "How is he?"

"He seems to be suffering from heavy exhaustion," the doctor said. "Normally we'd be able to tell when he'll wake up, but with his level of exhaustion, all we can tell is that he _will_ wake up - _when_ is going to be a bit trickier to determine."

Mitsuru nodded gravely, before she said, "I see. Very well… thank you, doctor."

"Mitsuru-senpai," Yukari spoke up. "Can… can I stay here, and keep an eye on Minato? I… I don't think I could go into Gekkoukan right now with how worried I am…"

Mitsuru looked Yukari in the eye, before she sighed internally. "Well, I don't see why not…" she said at last. "Just make sure to do your homework when you get the chance."

"Alright," Yukari said. "Thank you, Senpai."

"You're welcome, Takeba," Mitsuru nodded. Turning to face Akihiko, she asked, "Is there anything on your end you need to report? More specifically regarding your injuries…"

"They're rather light, but unfortunately I'll be sidelined for about a week or so…" Akihiko replied. "That sucks…"

"As long as you rest and recover, Akihiko," Mitsuru said. "I don't think you want to be sidelined forever… do you?"

"Point," Akihiko replied. "Anyway, let's get back to the Dorm. I think we still have school tomorrow, unless I read the date wrong."

"We do," Mitsuru answered. "It's only Sunday we don't have school, remember?"

Akihiko blinked, thought about it, and facepalmed with his uninjured arm. "Sometimes I hate it when I read the date wrong," he said. "Well, we can still get some rest, plus, I assume our new member's going to need her stuff from the hotel she's been staying at?"

Nayuki nodded. "That's correct," she said.

Mitsuru looked at Nayuki for a brief moment, before she sighed. "Well, that can wait until after school…" she said. "For now, let's head back to the dorm, shall we?"

"Yeah, let's," Nayuki replied, as she and the two third years left, leaving Yukari to step into her lover's room.

With a depressed sigh, Yukari walked over to Minato's bed, before she sat down beside it on one of the available chairs. "I'm so sorry, Minato…" she said. "How was I supposed to know this would happen? I would've prevented the mess by actually doing… _something_ , but it didn't happen that way."

So engrossed in her thoughts, Yukari missed a butterfly entering the room through the wall. It was only while it was between her and Minato when she noticed… and it glowed.

"Huh? How did you get here?" she asked it, looking at the windows to see if it could have entered through there. Upon finding that the windows were shut firmly, she looked over to the butterfly again, with words about to leave her mouth… before she felt faint and blacked out.

* * *

When Yukari regained consciousness, she was standing next to a fully conscious Minato in an area that looked otherworldly. "Minato?" she asked. "What is this place… where are we?"

Minato shrugged, before he said, "Honestly, I think this is different from that Time Paradox I've been subjected to since 10 years ago… what's its official name?"

"The Dark Hour… it's what Mitsuru-senpai calls it," Yukari replied.

Before Minato could say anything more, the two of them were interrupted by a light show in front of them. When the light show ended… "Welcome. It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Philemon… a dweller between Consciousness and Unconsciousness. And now, a simple test… can you state your names?"

"Yukari Takeba," Yukari replied. "Though I honestly want it to be Yukari Arisato eventually."

"I'm Minato Arisato," Minato said. "Now what's this about a test?"

Philemon nodded, before saying, "Splendid. There aren't many who can remember their identity when in this domain. It seems you've passed that test."

"Rather strange test, making sure someone can remember their name," Yukari remarked.

"Normally, if I were to bring someone over here, they wouldn't remember their identity," Philemon answered. "It has to do with the properties of this area that keep those with a weak sense of self from entering." Pointing at Minato and Yukari, he said, "So tell me this! Are you aware of the many and varied selves you harbor within you?"

"Huh?" Yukari asked.

"The self suffused with divine love…" Philemon said. "The self capable of demonic cruelty… People live by wearing different masks. Your current selves may be only one of those innumerable masks."

"Huh," Yukari replied. "Definitely an… interesting way of looking at it…"

"I have to agree, Philemon-san," Minato said. "I don't know how likely this is, but I wonder if you could tell us more about your reason for calling us over here, before continuing on with this."

Philemon nodded, before he held out his left hand. "I called you both here because of something terrifying that had shown up," he said. "This something terrifying is what had led to the downfall of the planet as a whole ten years ago, and would have been permanent had it not been for some brave souls resetting the clock, keeping the world preserved." With that, a projection showed up over his left palm, showing them what happened with the supposed "Lost Army of the Third Reich" and how it had aided in the destruction of the planet.

"Wow…" Yukari replied. "That… that's something I never thought would happen…"

"Indeed, in spite of it happening already," Philemon said, cutting the projection. "The world has ended once before, and only Sumaru City was kept intact… although, due to circumstances, I offered to reset the clock for the world." Placing his left hand to the left side of his mask, as if treating a wound, he continued, "Even though it came at a high price…"

"I… see…" Yukari replied. "And… something similar is happening again?"

"Correct," Philemon said, nodding and removing the hand from his mask. "My rival, the one known as the Crawling Chaos, is moving to cause trouble for the world again… in spite of his banishment."

Yukari's eyes widened a bit - she'd read Lovecraft, once, when she was younger - something she never wanted to read again, but once was enough to recognize the title. "Nyarlathotep…" she whispered.

Minato, for his part, paled considerably at the mention of the Crawling Chaos. "Is he really trying to destroy this world alone?" he asked fearfully.

Philemon shook his head. "No, not this world alone," he admitted. "So long as humankind exists, he will always be the Chaos crawling in the human heart, seeking to destroy mankind."

"That doesn't sound good…" Yukari remarked.

"Exactly," Philemon said. "Therefore, I am giving you a choice to make."

"What sort of choice?" Yukari asked.

Philemon extended a finger to tick off the choices. "The first option is to continue with life as it would go right now, fighting Nyarlathotep through his proxy Erebus, resulting in a death amongst the group to act as a seal," he started, turning his gaze to Minato specifically for this one. "Option two would be for you two to give up your memories of being together, and for the seals placed that night ten years ago to be restored and reinforced…"

At that moment, a ripple could be felt in the air around them, even as Philemon was about to continue speaking. Once the ripple faded, Minato asked, "What just happened?"

"I don't know…" Yukari replied. "But I do know I'm not giving you up, either my memories of you or for you to act as a seal," she said, forcefully. "I love you too much for that, Minato." Turning back to Philemon, she said, "There has to be some sort of third option."

"There is now, yes," Philemon said. "However, it will only last for a short amount of time, so you would be better off making a choice now. The option of traveling to another reality to remove the need for the seals to begin with, and to put Death back in its proper place, to prevent Erebus from acting on his Master's orders."

Yukari looked to Minato, who nodded, before she said, "We'll do it. About the only potential problem would be if our bodies went missing while we were gone…"

"They won't, no," Philemon said. "The only entities going will be your souls, not your bodies, which is why you will have an anchor in your new bodies to keep you around in the new reality."

Minato looked at Philemon and asked, "Didn't you have something else you wanted to say, before we got sidetracked?"

Philemon nodded, before saying, "Indeed… you both have very firm grips on your identities. I respect your strong wills. In return, I grant this power… Persona."

"Persona?" Yukari asked. "I… I thought I already…"

"Despair is a powerful weapon," Philemon said, getting Yukari to look him in the eye. "It is capable of turning those who have the Potential into something less than Human, though one must always hold onto hope, to let them live through the days ahead as a Wizard, so to speak. When you retain hope, you will need this gift I grant more than ever, the ability to summon your Persona still."

Yukari was somewhat unsure what he meant, though the appearance of Kamen Rider Wizard seemed to give her a bit of a hint. "Th… thank you," she said.

"You're welcome," Philemon said, before turning to face them both together. "You are now gifted with my blessing, though I suppose you need to learn how to use it without the need for an Evoker… imagine a card in your hand, the kind that looks like a Tarot card. That is what you need to crush in your mind's eye to summon your Persona."

They both nodded. "Alright," Yukari said. "Um… if I may ask… what kind of reality will we be traveling to?"

Philemon nodded his head, before saying, "The reality you will travel to is where Humanity has traveled through the stars, though Earth has been lost for a long time, according to popular belief. It is this reality where literal Gods and Demons roam free, both on Earth and in the rest of the Galaxy at large, even as beings known as Gnosis travel through the stars for nefarious purposes. Beware, though, for Nyarlathotep has a foothold in this reality as well."

Though their eyes boggled at the idea of space travel, Yukari and Minato both nodded. "We'll be careful," they said in unison.

"That is good," Philemon said, nodding once more. "The time is soon in your native reality's time when you will return home… but, before you leave, you will need to know what will happen to your children that have not been born yet."

Yukari's eyes widened in shock, even as she blushed. "Do you mean… my time with Minato two days ago…"

"Yes, I do," Philemon affirmed. "Without a soul in your native body, you will run the risk of losing your children, so long as you are off life support. With this in mind… how do you wish to resolve the situation?"

"I still want to go," Yukari affirmed. "I want children, yes, but I want to be able to raise them with their father! If… If I somehow lose whatever children I conceived this time… I will mourn, yes… but I'll move on!"

Philemon chuckled at that. "Relax," he said, "I will allow you the opportunity to keep your children from your first time. No life is worth less than another… especially the life of a child."

Yukari smiled. "Thank you, Philemon-san," she said. She then glanced at Minato. "I… guess we'll have wedding preparations to deal with once we get back," she said with a sheepish grin.

"Yep," Minato nodded, before he embraced Yukari. "I love you…"

"I love you, too," Yukari replied, returning the embrace. As they were embraced, they turned to Philemon. "Well… we're ready, I guess," Yukari said.

Philemon nodded in understanding. "Before you go, I need to inform you that it won't be by my power that I send you to this new world," he said.

"It won't?" Yukari asked. "Do you not have the authority to do that or something along those lines?"

"I am a part of the collective human unconscious," Philemon answered. "It is not my power to do more than awaken a person's Persona in certain manners, though I do know who can help you through this journey."

"Who is it, then?" Minato asked.

With a coughing noise, the gathered three turned to one of the sides. _"That would be me,"_ a redheaded woman said, wearing robes belonging to royalty of some sort and wearing what looked to be a Viking Longsword on her back. _"I am Freya, one of the Norse deities that are still active. I have it on good authority that the All Father will be sponsoring your trip… as long as you hold onto these Runes in your souls."_ Holding out a hand, she produced two sets of Runes, one for each of them.

The two nodded as they took the runes, which then glowed before disappearing into their bodies.

Freya looked at the two of them and asked, _"Don't you even want to know what sort of Runes those are?"_

"I assume they're some kind of anchor or something, to make sure we both stay in our bodies in the other reality and have a connection to our own bodies…" Yukari replied.

Freya nodded, before saying, _"The Runes also have the property of letting me speak with you in times of great need when you're out of options otherwise. Nothing invasive, I can assure you, you two."_

"Alright, that works," Minato replied. "As long as they work as advertised and allow us to do what we need to, I don't see any problems."

Freya nodded at that, a small smile appearing on her face. _"Thank you,"_ Freya said.

Philemon coughed into his hand to get the attention back on him. "Now… may the Wheel of Fate shift course from its original destination," he said, even as Minato and Yukari faded out of view. Once both were out of view, he first looked in Freya's direction, seeing that she left with the other two, before he shifted his focus to a doorway that appeared out of nowhere. "Igor, don't worry," he said to the door. "I'll make sure he doesn't forget about his agreement with you, to hone his power through your services."

The door vanished at hearing that.

* * *

 _1152, April 10, 2009_

* * *

Nayuki followed Mitsuru up to the rooftop. It was rather interesting, seeing the upperclassman come up with a lunchbox, ask her to come with, and lead her to the rooftop. Also interesting were all the incredulous stares the pair were getting. "So… I take it this isn't a common occurrence?" she asked. "You asking to share lunch with someone, I mean."

"No, it's not an occurrence at all," Mitsuru replied. "I hardly have the correct… peer, so to speak… to share lunch with, anyway."

"I see," Nayuki replied. "I suppose the rest of the student body thinks of you as the 'untouchable senpai'?"

Mitsuru's silence was more than enough answer in that regard.

Nayuki nodded. "I see," she said. "Well, it could be worse…" she grinned slightly. "You could be like Akihiko-senpai and have fangirl hordes."

"I don't really need that mental image, thank you," Mitsuru glared lightly at Nayuki. "Besides, I wouldn't have the female variety on my case, I don't think…"

"Possibly," Nayuki remarked. "Still, I saw him yesterday after school needing to vault over the school walls to escape them… I've never seen other girls swarm like that before… almost reminded me of Ghouls going after a Gate."

"Which is even worse of a mental image, now that I think of it," Mitsuru groused. "I don't even think I can have my lunch at this rate, unless you decide to calm down on this subject, Kinomoto."

Nayuki giggled. "Alright, alright," she said. "So, why did you ask me up here, anyway?"

Mitsuru was about to open her mouth when she realized something… she didn't have a good reason as to _why_ she asked Nayuki up. "Um… well… you interest me?" she settled with.

Nayuki seemed to blush a bit at that. "Um… th… thanks…" she managed to stammer out.

Mitsuru blushed when she realized what it was she had implied. "Er, that is…" she started to correct herself, only for her mind to go into the Blue Screen Of Death.

Luckily, both were saved at that point by Mitsuru's cell phone going off, a quick check of the Caller ID revealing it to be the hospital.

"What could the hospital want with me at _this_ hour of the day?" Mitsuru asked herself out loud, before she answered the phone. "Kirijo here," she said. "What is it?" A brief pause on her end occurred. "Wait, what?" Another pause happened. "Are you kidding me?" More silence happened. "Ugh… just when I thought it wasn't contagious…" she said.

"What's happened?" Nayuki asked. "It doesn't sound good, whatever it is."

Mitsuru didn't answer her right off, only saying, "I see… I'll be there after school lets out." With that, she hung up. "It's Takeba," she said. "She went comatose alongside Arisato."

Nayuki's eyes widened. "What?" she asked. "That's… I mean… huh?"

Mitsuru closed her eyes for a bit. "My thoughts exactly," she said. "Both are currently on life support, but still… this is unprecedented."

Nayuki nodded. "I'll go with you once school lets out," she said. "I might not be much help, and I only know the two of them by acquaintance, at best, but I still want to do what I can."

"Understood," Mitsuru said, opening her eyes. "Let's at least inform the rest of the school about the situation, if they'll let us."

"Right… so much for lunch," Nayuki said as they stood up. "We'll likely need some sort of cover story or interim explanation, just to keep the rest of the school from worrying too much…"

Mitsuru nodded, before they walked over to the door. "We'll need to discuss this with the teachers, at the very least…"

* * *

 _1630, April 10th, 2009_

* * *

After school, Nayuki and Mitsuru had hopped on their bikes and done everything short of breaking traffic laws to get to the hospital ASAP. Akihiko was close behind them, though he'd had to hire a taxi.

When they arrived at the hospital, they nearly booked it over to Minato's room, were it not for the fact that they were mindful of the patients in the building. As it stood, the ones there for Minato and Yukari were slowed considerably from the rate of speed they were hoping to use, though they did reach the room where they were both staying.

Upon entering the room, Akihiko asked the doctor, "How are they?"

"They're stable, for the moment at least," the doctor replied. "We didn't truly discover it until someone came to offer Takeba-san some food, but they're not responding to any stimuli whatsoever."

Nayuki looked into the room, seeing the two unconscious forms… in the same hospital bed? "I… don't think space is at that much of a premium," she pointed out.

"Actually, we felt they might like it better that way, if and when they woke up," the doctor said. "After discovering what had happened, we ran various medical tests on Takeba-san, and… well… she's pregnant."

Mitsuru and Akihiko felt their eyes widen considerably at that. It was Mitsuru who spoke first between them this time. "How… how long has it been for her?" she asked.

"Only a couple of days," the doctor replied. "We checked records, and she hasn't been shown as sexually active at school, so even though DNA Testing isn't an option at this early stage, we're assuming Arisato-san's the father."

Akihiko blanched at that. "Of all the possible…" he said. "What gave him the right to do this with her?! Did they know each other from somewhere _before_ the dorm?!"

"According to Minato-san, they were childhood friends," Nayuki recalled. "I remember that first day of school, when he talked about how well they knew each other, and I'd joked that I hoped the rooms of the dorm were soundproofed… I didn't expect…"

Mitsuru nodded at that. "I don't think we _could_ have expected that to begin with…" she said. "Nor do we have any desire to tell her _mother_ anything…"

"I'm assuming they don't get along that well," Nayuki remarked.

"That's putting it lightly," Akihiko grunted. "Yukari-san's mother… is more like a prostitute these days, and nothing can change that about her unless she finally sticks with one man again."

Nayuki blinked, but nodded. "Alright," she said. She turned to Mitsuru. "Did the teachers finally agree on a cover story after I left the office, Mitsuru-senpai?"

"They did, actually," Mitsuru nodded again. "They're both sick with the worst strain of the flu… and they're resting in the hospital to treat it."

Akihiko nodded at that. "A wise idea," he said. "Makes it so that people don't bug them, or anything."

"Yeah," Nayuki replied. "Well, I guess we'll just have to keep an eye on them, wait for them to wake up," she said after a moment.

Mitsuru and Akihiko nodded, before they walked over to the door, Nayuki following right behind them.

* * *

 **Xamusel: FINISHED!**

 **…** **okay, seriously, this is not how I imagined the chapter to end. Well, anyway, review corner time!**

 **(Looks for reviews, only to find none)**

 **…** **not again. (/)_-) I hate that this story is one of the least reviewed stories on the site.**

 **Anyway, next update will be this story, everyone, so look forward to it. I can't guarantee when it'll be released, though it'll be at the very least be sometime next month, on a Saturday.  
**

 **Now… here's Takeshi!**

* * *

 **Takeshi Yamato: I have to say I wasn't exactly expecting the chapter to end this way, either. However, sometimes these things develop minds of their own, and it's all you can do to hang on tight and try to keep up.**

 **That said, things are definitely progressing differently here than last time around. And expect those changes to affect Foreign Saga a bit, too.**

 **Not much else to add this time, so we'll see you in the next one! :D**


	4. Chapter 3

**Xamusel: Now that we have your attention, I'd like to announce that this story will eventually go into Gaim-levels of Kamen Rider, which means there will be the non-Gate Riders to work into this series of stories. This is important in that the sequel will have as a focus the exploits of 'W', aka Kamen Rider Double, but it won't be the only focus… it will also have Drive as well.**

 **In any case, the following chapter will have some focus given to other members of SEES, including Junpei (for when he shows up… which is really soon in this chapter). The chapter itself will end with the returning of Minato and Yukari… who had more experience in fighting the supernatural than the others would expect.**

 **Now, then… The Wheel Of Fate Is Turning. Rebel 1,** ** _Action_** **!**

* * *

 **A Wizard in Iwatodai Ultimate Rewrite Edition**  
 _Story written by Xamusel and Takeshi Yamato_

* * *

 _1130, April 11th, 2009_

* * *

Mitsuru and Nayuki were grateful this time to have lunch on the roof, at a more reasonable amount of time to boot.

"So… what's it like being the heir to a multi-trillion yen corporation, Mitsuru-senpai?" Nayuki asked.

Mitsuru blinked when she heard that. "I… suppose it's inconvenient, actually," she admitted. "I mean, I don't have all the knowledge of a common member of society, plus there's all the accusations that the Kirijo Group is part-Yakuza."

Nayuki nodded. "Yeah, with a company that large, there'd be no shortage of rumors like that," she said. "Not that it was easy being an anonymous masked defender of the people from things that would quite literally kill them with despair." She sighed. "Honestly, Koyomi really was my anchor during that time…"

Mitsuru noticed the melancholy smile. "If… if you don't mind me asking, what… happened to her?" she asked.

Nayuki sighed. "She wasn't even truly alive…" she said after a moment. "She was a homunculus, created by the White Wizard through the first Black Sabbath Ritual as an attempt to resurrect his daughter…" she sighed again. "He then tried again, using me, Mage, and two other Mages as focal points, but Beast stopped him… then he was destroyed by one of his remaining Phantoms, Gremlin… who then destroyed Koyomi to get at her core…" She reached into a pocket in her jacket, specifically spelled so only she could reach into it, and pulled out the Hope Ring. "This thing… it's all I have left of her, now…"

Mitsuru looked shocked at what she had heard, but wisely kept her words from going negative. "I truly hope that, for your sake, things work out for you in the future, Kinomoto," she said at last.

"Thank you, Mitsuru-senpai," she said, placing the Hope Ring back in her pocket. "I hope so, too…"

"You're welcome," Mitsuru nodded. "Now, since I know you need some time to truly recover, I will give you time before you need to join a club after classes."

"Right," Nayuki replied. "I'll certainly need to think about that… what kind of options are there?"

Mitsuru held up a few fingers, before saying, "There's the sports clubs, which open up first, consisting of the Swim Team, the Track Team, and the Kendo Team… any other clubs will be opened later in the year."

"Right…" Nayuki replied. "Well… by the time they open up, I might have an idea which one I want to join."

Mitsuru nodded. "That would be a good thing, Kinomoto," she said. "In any case, now would be the time to eat, I'd say."

"Right," Nayuki said, before the two dug into their food.

* * *

 _The magic rings, the Wizard Rings._

(A red magic circle appears over a black background. Four lights appear at the main corners of the Circle, from which appear the Flame, Water, Hurricane, and Land Style Rings.)

 _They shine on both hands of the modern mage._

(The Rings float in different directions, Water, Hurricane, and Land going off the screen as Flame lands on Nayuki's left middle finger as she appears silhouetted in front of the magic circle, Driver On Ring on her right middle finger)

 _As she changes despair into hope._

(A close-up image of Nayuki's head and shoulders, still silhouetted, as the helmet and upper outfit of Wizard Flame Style super-impose themselves over her form.)

 **(BGM: Life is SHOW TIME [TV Version])**

 _Maji ka? Maji de? Maji da! Showtime!_ _ **(Seriously [it's magic]!? Really!? I'm serious! Show Time!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style does a few spins in various positions relative to a red magic circle on a white background, before appearing on Winger WizarDragon, which flies off the screen before WizarDragon flies back onto the screen, lobbing a fireball from its mouth as Wizard releases a Magic Circle from her ring before the flash resolves into the title logo.)

 _Maru de tsuki to taiyou_ _ **(It's like the shock)**_

(Nayuki is seen standing atop the Iwatodai Dorms building, overlooking the whole town, before the scene shifts to a solar eclipse, then to Wizard Flame Style spinning to face her right, and finally to Nayuki spinning to face her left.)

 _Kasanaru toki no shougeki_ _ **(When the moon and the sun collide!)**_

(Nayuki stands in the middle of a crowded street, head down, before raising it somewhat to look at a boy in a style similar to that of a jailbird, who looks up to reveal Pharos.)

 _Dare datte kiseki shinjite mitai_ _ **(Everyone wants to believe in a miracle)**_

(Pharos lifts his right hand up, the back of it facing Nayuki, and the screen shifts to show them reaching for each other's hand, before it shows them walking across the street to each other, Mitsuru appearing on Pharos' side, Minato showing up on Nayuki's side.)

 _Kitto hitotsu you_ _fukaketsu no ENAJI_ _kokoro no da ne_ _ **(The indispensable energy that people need comes from the heart)**_

(The background shatters, before Mitsuru drives up on her own motorcycle, pulling off her helmet before brandishing her rapier and Evoker. Minato then appears, a silhouetted image of Thanatos behind him. Pharos and Nayuki appear in front of a Velvet Doorway.)

 _Yume to yosou ii imi de uragitte kureru mono_ _ **(Dreams and expectations will betray you in a good way)**_

(Yukari Takeba is seen looking through a tome of magic, while a magic ball shows Nayuki transforming into Kamen Rider Wizard, the ball being held by Pharos.)

 _3! 21! 1! Showtime!_

(The scene shows Pharos' immediate area glowing in light.)

 _Magic Time!_

(Wizard Flame Style is seen in front of a building, jumping and spinning in place.)

 _TRICK ja nai!_ _ **(It's no trick!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style lands on the ground, lifting her right hand to her mask, before lowering her arm.)

 _Mahou HIIRO hanpa nee ze_ _ **(The Magic Hero is no pushover!)**_

(A red magic circle appears under her feet, with three separate magic circles, red, blue, and yellow, underneath the Red Garuda, Blue Unicorn, and Yellow Kraken PlaMonsters respectively, before Wizard Flame Style spins around and sends her familiars out.)

 _Mo-to halelujah_

(Wizard Flame Style crushes a card in her hand, as Artemis appears behind her.)

 _Kioku no roots moguri-konde kibou sukui-dase_ _ **(Dig into the roots of memory and save that hope!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style leaps through a blue magic circle to her right, becoming Wizard Water Style, then leaps up through a green magic circle to become Hurricane Style, then drops down through a yellow magic circle to become Land Style.)

 _Show Time!_

(Nayuki and Pharos reach for each other's hands and grab them.)

 _Life is showtime! Tobikiri no_ _ **(Life is Showtime! It's exhilerating!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style is seen falling through magic circles.)

 _Unmei to RAIFU mucha shite mo_ _ **(Even if you're reckless with fate and life!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style is riding Machine Winger down a road, as WizarDragon flies up alongside. Machine Winger and WizarDragon combine to form Winger WizarDragon, with Nayuki still riding.)

 _Mo-to halelujah_

(Back with the close up on Nayuki and Pharos' hands, as Nayuki moves the Hope Ring towards Pharos' finger.)

 _Kinou, kyou, ashita, mirai_ _ **(Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, and in the future…)**_

(Nayuki, Minato, Yukari, and Mitsuru are in the Iwatodai dorm, each doing various things. Their positions switch two times, with each switch showing a new set of activities.)

 _Subete no namida wo_ _ **(…all those tears…)**_

(Nayuki is riding Machine Winger, Mitsuru riding behind her.)

 _Show Time!_

(Nayuki finishes sliding the Hope Ring onto Pharos' finger, the ring beginning to light up.)

 _Kouseki ni kaette yaruze_ _ **(…I will change them into jewels!)**_

(Wizard's four main Styles come into view, Flame in the center, Water from the right, Hurricane from above, and Land from the left. The four pose identically as Water, Hurricane, and Land turn into light and merge with Flame.)

 _Maji ka? Maji de? Maji da! Showtime!_ _ **(Seriously [it's magic]!? Really!? I'm serious! Show Time!)**_

(Brief shot of Nayuki holding up her left hand with the Flame Style Ring on it, followed by Wizard Flame Style doing a brief spin and posing in front of Machine Winger, the story logo once again flaming into existence in the foreground.)

* * *

 **Chapter 003** : Howl of Cerberus (I)

* * *

 _Dark Hour, April 13th, 2009_

* * *

Akihiko, having recovered enough to go out on the town late at night, was not exactly pleased that he was going out with Nayuki as an escort. "Nayuki-san, I can take care of myself just fine," he said to try getting her off his back.

"It was Mitsuru's idea, remember," Nayuki replied. "I personally believe you, but you know her better than I do at this point."

Akihiko looked at Nayuki and asked, "Since when did she let you call her just 'Mitsuru'?"

She blinked. "Oh… sorry…" she said. "I've… I've enjoyed my lunches with her so much… I sometimes forget the honorific…"

Akihiko facepalmed when he heard that. "I fear for us all…" he said.

"Sorry…" Nayuki chuckled sheepishly. "It doesn't happen that often, but I quickly correct it when it does happen." She sighed. "Still… I… I enjoy spending time with he-"

"HEEEELP!" a male's voice could be heard from down the road.

"That sounded like Junpei-san from my class!" Nayuki said. "Let's go!"

Akihiko didn't need to be told twice, even as he ran after Nayuki to keep up with her. "Nayuki-san, what do you think is the cause of this incident?" he asked.

"Not sure…" Nayuki replied. "Given this is the Dark Hour, it could be Shadows…"

"But Shadows don't target anyone with active Potential normally!" Akihiko clarified for her. "This has to be an anomaly!"

Then they saw a figure heading into Paulownia Mall, leading several Shadows. The figure was humanoid, but seemed to be covered in dark red fur, and had three heads with canine features. And Nayuki could sense it, clear as day. "Shit… a Phantom!" she cursed.

"A _what_?!" Akihiko questioned, before they saw a Phantom's typical grunts… the Ghouls, following right behind the Shadows.

"Senpai, you deal with the Shadows," she said, activating her WizarDriver as it called out, " ** _DRIVER ON, PLEASE!_** " "I'll deal with the Phantom and the Ghouls." she switched out her normal Flame Style Ring for a blue Ring, triggering the mechanism to reveal the face on it.

While Akihiko prepared his Evoker gun to aid him in the fight against the Shadows, Junpei could finally be seen, the Phantom grabbing at a baseball bat and at Junpei's shirt, the former to keep it from being swung by the latter. " _You're powerless against me… Gate,_ " the Phantom said in its distorted tone of voice, before raising Junpei up and tossing aside his baseball bat.

At that moment, bullets from the WizarSwordGun impacted the Phantom's back, drawing its attention.

" _Silver bullets?! Are you a Magician?!_ " the Phantom called out to Nayuki.

"A magician…?" Junpei questioned, unable to see who had saved him.

"I won't let you turn him into more of your kind, Phantom!" Nayuki called out.

" _Curses!_ " the Phantom yelled out, a torrent of energy flowing in its right hand, before tossing the energy bomb towards her.

" ** _WATER, PLEASE!_** " the Driver called out as she switched it to Henshin input and placed the hand with the Water Style Ring over the Hand author, and then raised said hand above her, a blue Magic Circle appearing above her. " ** _SUI-SUI! SUI-SUI!_** " the Driver continued as the Magic Circle descended, protecting her from the blast even as it granted her a slightly different outfit than Flame Style. The motif on the front of her overcoat was diamond shapes instead of rectangular ones, what was normally red was now blue, and her helmet visor looked like a blue diamond rather than a red circle, again with silver trim marking the eye-pieces and the same Gundam-like Head Crest.

This was Kamen Rider Wizard's Water Elemental form, Water Style.

" _You_ are _the Magician!_ " the Phantom yelled at her.

Wizard posed, her left hand next to her face with the Water Style Ring pointed at the Phantom, and said, "Saa, Showtime da!"

While she was walking towards the Phantom, the Shadows were taking turns tangoing with Akihiko, even as he kept on knocking them out with his moves… literally. "Polydeuces! **Sonic Punch**!" he called out, pulling the trigger on his Evoker, summoning his Persona into the world of the Dark Hour to OHKO a Cowardly Maya.

Meanwhile, the Phantom yelled, " _Get her!_ " With that, the Ghouls rushed towards Wizard, as if ready to die.

She fired shots with her WizarSwordGun, hitting the Ghouls and stunning them briefly, before breaking into a run, switching the WizarSwordGun to Sword mode and hacking them to pieces before charging the Phantom.

The Phantom brought out a scimitar and brought it up to block the WizarSwordGun, barely succeeding the task, before kicking Wizard away from it. " _I, Cerberus, will be your end!_ " it yelled.

"I don't think so!" Wizard replied, even as more Ghouls charged at her. Knowledge then entered her head, and she held out her hand, a tarot card appearing in it. "Artemis! **Malaqua**!" she called out, summoning her Persona, which blasted the Ghouls and the Cerberus Phantom with water.

" _What the?!_ " Cerberus cried out, being knocked back by the torrent of water. " _Curses! You'll_ pay _for that!_ "

At that point, Junpei was able to look at his savior, the Ring Bearing Wizard. He didn't know who Wizard was, but he felt she was familiar, somehow.

"Send me the bill," Wizard quipped. "Or rather, don't." She swapped her Driver On Ring for her Kick Strike Ring. "Saa, Finale da," she said, switching the Driver to spell input as it called out, " ** _LUPPACHI MAGIC, TOUCH TO GO! LUPPACHI MAGIC, TOUCH TO GO!_** " before placing the ring over it.

" _I think now is the time to evacuate… Ghouls, cover me!_ " Cerberus called out.

" ** _CHOI NE! KICK STRIKE! SAIKOU!_** " the WizarDriver intoned, as a Blue Magic Circle appeared underneath Wizard as she spun around once, water magic encircling her right leg before she somersaulted forward, making two revolutions before launching into the air and then descending, right leg extended and covered in water magic.

Unfortunately for the Wizard, Cerberus evacuated, his Ghouls destroyed as a matter of drawing attention away from him… making it the first Phantom to escape in a long time, though Nayuki wouldn't know that just yet.

As she landed, she sighed slightly, before turning to Junpei. "Are you alright, Junpei-san?" she asked.

"What the… how do you know my name?" Junpei asked, before it suddenly dawned on him. "Wait… Nayuki-san?!"

She nodded, de-transforming back into her normal outfit. "Fancy running into you here," she said.

"What happened to those creatures chasing meEEEEEEEEEE?!" he screamed near the end when he saw the end of the Shadows fighting Akihiko.

She turned, and also saw the end of the fight. "I dealt with the main one, and one of the groups of minions, Akihiko-senpai is finishing up with the other group," she said. "Still, I doubt this is the last of it…"

* * *

" _Ah-CHOO!_ " the Phantom sneezed. " _Wait… how come I sneezed?_ "

He'd barely managed to escape the Magician's attack, and was now in an abandoned warehouse near the docks. He considered himself lucky to be able to escape the Magician, even if he hadn't driven the Gate to despair.

" _Now, this is where I have to find an excuse to that pathetic non-Phantom son of my prior self for why I was injured, I hope…_ " he said.

Almost as soon as he finished saying that, he felt the presence of a high-ranking Phantom nearby, causing him to bow in deference. " _Atlas-sama…_ " he said.

" _Cerberus…_ " the higher-ranking Phantom said as he appeared atop a pile of Shipping Containers. " _Did you drive your target to despair?_ "

Cerberus shook his head. " _No, Atlas-sama,_ " he said. " _The Ringed Magician showed up and foiled that plan…_ "

" _The Magician?_ " Atlas asked. " _She is here in Iwatodai?_ "

" _Yes, she is,_ " Cerberus answered with a nod.

" _In that case, Cerberus, you will have another chance to drive your target to despair…_ " a female voice came from a few feet behind and to Cerberus' left.

" _Freya-sama…_ " Cerberus continued bowing to the higher-ranked Phantoms. " _Thank you for giving me this chance._ "

Atlas jumped to the ground. " _The next Sabbat is coming…_ " he said. " _We must create as many Phantoms as we can before that day comes… So decrees Kronos-ou…_ "

Cerberus nodded each of his heads. " _I understand, Atlas-sama,_ " he said.

" _In that case, find your target before the Magician can do anything to sway them further away from you,_ " a second female voice came from a few feet behind and to Cerberus' right.

" _Athena-san… it is rare indeed for you to grace us with your presence…_ " Atlas commented.

Athena nodded curtly, before taking on the form of her previous life. Where she was wearing a toga with a focus on sex appeal and had color focus on the color green, she now had green hair and pale blue eyes, wearing a white dress that left little to the imagination. "I was in the area, anyway," she said. "I wondered what caused Cerberus to screw up so badly, but now I know it was outside of his control, so that's what I'll go with."

Freya nodded, before she, too, shifted back into the form of her previous life. While her pink hair would cause many to wonder where she got it from, it was the same color as her conservative clothes in Phantom form. Then there were her eyes… bright red. She wore an outfit that wouldn't be out of place in the workplace, which underplayed just how attractive she was, among other things. "Now that the pieces are coming together for this Sabbat… Kronos-ou is going to need some help in keeping the Magicians out of his hair," she said, even though she felt a twinge of emotion in her very being.

Atlas also shifted to his human form, easily the largest of the three commanders, with short red hair that matched his main color in his Phantom Form, and amethyst eyes. "Agreed… and Kronos-ou actually informed us that the first seal is broken," he said.

" _The first seal is broken?!_ " Cerberus exclaimed. " _Why wasn't anyone else informed of this?_ "

"It only happened a few days ago," Atlas informed. "It's been making the rounds, but obviously it hasn't reached everyone yet."

Cerberus nodded in understanding, before standing upright. " _Now… I need to return to my prior self's home,_ " he said, " _to prevent any suspicious neighbors from wondering where I went to…_ "

"Very well, go," Atlas said, waving Cerberus off. Once the lesser Phantom had left, he asked his fellow commanders, "So… how go your own projects?"

"I'm still cooking up interesting new ways to create more of our kind, Atlas-kun," Athena said. "Sadly, however, my creativity is limited currently… not enough of a stockpile for the creation of more of our kind."

"Right… I'll have some of the other Phantoms try and find you more subjects in addition to their targets," Atlas replied. "And you, Freya? Have you learned any interesting tidbits of information?

"Nothing that revolves around the Magicians, no," Freya shook her head. "However… I _did_ learn that a Gate has been put in the hospital for a reason I'm still looking into."

"I see…" Atlas replied. "Will need to see if there's any Phantoms in the Hospital Staff who can drive them to despair…"

"Problem, Atlas-san," Freya commented. "Said Gate's in a coma."

"That _is_ a problem…" Atlas remarked. "Well, we can keep an eye on them, at least. Any other news from elsewhere?"

"I've heard a crazy rumor, actually," Freya said. "This rumor is that there's a game being played in Zawame City involving these creatures called Inves that one can summon by means of an item called a Lockseed."

"Hmm…" Atlas pondered. "We might need to insert some Phantoms into Zawame, see if they can find Gates there and use this game to drive them to despair… and we should see about procuring some Lockseeds for Athena-san to experiment with."

"About that…" Freya said, fishing into her suit and pulling out a pair of strange locks. "The rumor turns out to be true, since I was in the area two nights ago."

"Oh?" Athena let out coyly. "How can a strange lock with the design of a fruit on the front even work to summon these Inves?"

Tossing one of the locks over to Athena, Freya activated a switch on the lock in her hand, summoning a zipper-like portal to the world and bringing out an Inves that looked like the stock kind. "See what I mean?" she asked.

"Hmm…" Atlas remarked, seeing what looked like a forest beyond the portal. "This has potential, not just in terms of these creatures. Do you see that forest on the other side of the portal?"

Athena looked at the forest on the other side of the portal, before nodding. "I have to admit, this is very interesting, Freya-chan," she said. "How many different kinds of these Lockseeds _are_ there?"

"For the 2,754th time, don't give me any of the nicknames you do to those you consider 'entertaining'!" Freya snapped. "Before you ask, yes, it's been that many times!" After calming down a bit, she said, "And how many fruits are there in supply around the world?"

Atlas got what she was getting at. "So there's likely a Lockseed for each of the fruits in the world…" he commented. "That opens up plenty of variety… how many Lockseed variants are known at the moment, Freya-san?"

"I haven't checked that properly," Freya answered, "but I believe the number to be a minimum of 14."

"Interesting…" Atlas remarked. "We'll certainly need to look at more… we should also try looking into that forest on the other side of the portal. If that forest is the home of these Inves…"

Gears started turning in Athena's head, as she said, "Then that means we can collect more forces of our own! That's so _wonderful_ , Atlas-kun!"

"Remember to keep it professional, Athena-san," Freya snarked.

"We also need to determine the origins of both the Inves and the Lockseeds," Atlas continued. "We need to know more about this potential tool, and if it can be used against us as easily as it could for us. Freya-san, I'll leave that to you."

"Roger that," Freya said, before walking out of the warehouse.

"I'll let you get to work with those Lockseeds, Athena-san," Atlas said before leaving the warehouse himself.

"Will do, Atlas-kun!" Athena called out happily, before remembering something. "Freya-chan, you forgot about your summoned ally!"

"For the 2,755th time, it's not Freya- _chan_ , it's Freya- _san_!" Freya called out, before the Inves matter was recalled to her. "Eh? Oh, right, almost forgot. Time to go home, Inves!"

With that, the Inves jumped back through the portal, the zipper going back up.

"Now…" Athena smirked evilly, "how do I get them both to let loose their tension, so to speak?"

* * *

After Akihiko had finished with the Shadows, Nayuki decided they should head back to the Dorm, taking Junpei with them because he was a Gate, and likely had the Potential. Along the way, she explained the concept of Gates and Phantoms to both of them.

"So, to clarify, that triple-headed mutt was after _me_?" Junpei asked. "And now it can't do anything again, thanks to it being destroyed?"

"Hopefully," Nayuki replied. "I have had a few instances where the Phantom used some of its Ghouls to cover its escape, but hopefully that wasn't the case here. That said, I still think you staying at the Dorm would be a good option, given that even if it is destroyed, another one might come after you, and I can more easily keep an eye out there." She looked at Akihiko. "Senpai, do you have any questions as to what I've explained?"

"Not really, Nayuki-san," Akihiko answered. "I just wonder what the end result of the Phantoms' plans are, but I don't think you know that, do you?"

"No, I don't," Nayuki admitted. "The last bunch I faced were created as a result of someone trying to revive his dead daughter, but I don't know if the lead one here is a survivor from that group, or from another group, and whatever their endgame is, we'll have to find out on our own."

Akihiko nodded in understanding. "Well, this is going to be a problem we're not ready to handle yet," he said. "Is there any way to train up to face them?"

"Not that I know of," Nayuki replied. "Only Wizards can properly fight Phantoms, primarily because of how we gain access to our magic - being driven to despair such that a Phantom is born inside, but holding on to some kind of hope long enough to keep the Phantom from escaping, thus trapping it within ourselves and drawing our ability to use magic from that 'Inner Phantom'."

Junpei shivered at the thought of how a Phantom gets born, before saying, "I'd rather not use Magic like that at all, thank you very much, Nayuki-san."

"I understand, and I'd never force the creation of a Wizard," Nayuki said. "That said, those of us who have managed to hold onto hope in the face of total despair have the best abilities for fighting Phantoms - Enchanted Silver works as well as an impromptu weapon or defense, but the Magic I use through my Rings really is the most effective." She paused a bit. "Though the spell my Persona used worked just as well, but I'm not sure if that's true with all Personas, or if it's just because I'm a Persona-using Wizard.

Junpei looked at the two Persona users in the group, before asking, "So… how do you two summon Personas?"

"Akihiko-senpai uses that Evoker gun of his," Nayuki replied, as Akihiko revealed the gun in question. "I, however, gained my Persona differently, so I can summon it by manifesting then crushing what looks like a common tarot card."

Akihiko looked at Nayuki in a slight amount of disbelief. "Really?" he asked. " _That's_ how you summon your Persona?"

"Yeah," Nayuki replied. "However, I think only people who've gained their Persona through that Philemon person can summon it that way…"

* * *

"Achoo!" A certain gas station attendant sneezed.

* * *

"Anyway, let's get back - I'm certain Mitsuru-senpai will be interested in our report." Neither Akihiko nor Junpei missed the slight blush when she said Mitsuru's name, but didn't say anything to Nayuki about it.

* * *

 _1600, April 17th, 2009_

* * *

Nayuki walked into the hospital room for Minato and Yukari, who were still placed in the same bed, and both still on life support. "What happened to you two…?" she wondered aloud.

At that point, she felt something, as one of Philemon's glowing blue butterflies materialized. Not paying her any mind this time, it flitted over to Minato and Yukari's unconscious forms, hovering there for a moment as the sheet adjusted to account for a slight indent around Yukari's waistline, before the butterfly disappeared, and the two began to stir.

"Unh…" Minato groaned in the bed. "How long have I been out…?"

"Yeah… what day is it?" Yukari asked from her position in the bed.

"It's April 17th," Nayuki replied. "And it's 4 in the afternoon. Good to see you two lovebirds are finally up."

This caused Minato and Yukari to wake up in full, the two of them looking at Nayuki in surprise. "How…?" Minato and Yukari asked simultaneously.

"Well, we weren't entirely sure you two were a couple," she admitted, "but it seemed the most likely reason for why the doctors discovered Yukari-san was a couple days pregnant while they ran tests to try and determine why she went comatose."

Minato and Yukari blushed at the reminder… in sync. "Er, Nayuki-san," Minato said.

"Could you please help keep the pregnancy secret for a few months longer?" Yukari finished for Minato.

"I'll do what I can," she replied. "Most of the school simply thinks you've been down with a particularly nasty flu, though the teachers know that you were comatose… I will inform you that Mitsuru-senpai and Akihiko-senpai know of your pregnancy, though."

Yukari blanched. "That doesn't sound as good as you're implying, Nayuki-san," she said.

Minato looked at Yukari and said, "Remember, she doesn't know what you told me."

"Is this something secret between you, or can you fill me in?" Nayuki asked.

Minato and Yukari looked at Nayuki for a few seconds. "You'll know later," they said in sync, before blinking in surprise.

"Alright," she said. "Also, brief heads-up: Junpei-san is staying at the dorm - he has the Potential, and he's also a Gate, so he's staying there for safety purposes."

"Wait… Junpei-san?!" Yukari yelled in surprise. "Who in their right mind would let _him_ be one with the Potential?!"

"No clue," Nayuki responded, "But the fact remains that he's also a Gate, and I've confirmed that there are Phantoms here in Iwatodai - even if he didn't have the Potential, the Dorm's currently undergoing a bit of a revision to also serve as a refuge for Gates."

Minato had to restrain Yukari before she did something stupid in a short amount of time. "Yukari, don't," he said in a firm tone while holding her in his arms. "You don't want to end up in a bad place, do you?"

Nayuki blinked. "Am I missing something?" she asked.

Minato looked at Nayuki and said, "Yes, and we're not going to tell you what place in question."

She nodded. "Alright," she said. "Well, I'll let the others know you're up." She then left the room, leaving the couple alone.

Minato and Yukari looked at each other, before they looked at the sheets, seeing the indent that looked like it belonged to a Driver. "Huh… this looks interesting," Yukari said, before she lifted the sheets up a bit to look at the source of the indent. "Eh? It's my Driver!"

"Looks like the changes we went through in that other reality stayed with us in transition back to this one," Minato said. "That's good."

"Yeah… though I want to have kids here," Yukari said in melancholy, before shaking her head. "Anyway, it doesn't matter, does it? I just hope Nanoha-san can find us soon."

"Agreed," Minato said. "Then we'll have both our kids from the other reality, as well as the ones we'll be having here…" he chuckled. "I suppose that's one good thing about Junpei-san at the dorm… we have an additional babysitter option, if need be.

Yukari chuckled as well. "Yeah, I can see that happening," she said. "Minato… I love you."

"I love you, too, Yukari," he said, before they kissed.

* * *

 _2000, April 17th, 2009_

* * *

Nayuki stood at the entrance to the Dorm, waiting for Minato and Yukari to arrive. She'd talked privately with Mitsuru, and they'd agreed to keep Yukari's pregnancy a secret from Junpei for until Minato and Yukari wanted to tell him.

She then noticed them walking up, but her eyes boggled as she saw what was on Yukari's waist. It looked like the inactive form of the WizarDriver, with pink trim instead of gold!

"Sorry about our tardiness," Minato said. "We had to get some food to eat, which meant we needed to eat at a restaurant in the area."

"No problem," Nayuki replied. "And Yukari-san… is… is that what I think it is?"

"Oh, you mean my SageDriver?" Yukari asked her, pointing at the Driver in question. "Yes, this is what you're thinking it is, actually."

Nayuki was shocked. "So… you're… a Wizard, too… there has to be a story behind that, but I won't force you to tell me until you're ready."

"Actually, we recorded the whole story on a handheld computer that came with us," Minato said with a straight face. "You can look at it later if you want."

Nayuki frowned. "Not sure if I believe that, but if it's true, that works," she said.

Minato produced the handheld computer in question. "Be sure to let either Yukari or myself open it for you, first," he said. "Otherwise… well, it's the only one of its kind in this reality for a reason."

Nayuki nodded. "Alright," she said. Then the second part of his statement registered, and she asked, "This reality?"

"Yes, this reality," Yukari nodded. "It's really complicated, that's for sure, but it's the truth."

"Al… alright," Nayuki replied, before opening the door. "Come on in - the others are waiting for you."

"Even the Chairman?" Yukari asked.

"No, the chairman isn't here - apparently hasn't been since the 9th," Nayuki informed. "I'd think he's avoiding me for some reason, but he hasn't even met me once, and I haven't met him, so I wouldn't know for sure."

Yukari and Minato shared a look with each other, before they nodded. "Investigation time," they said as one.

Nayuki blinked. "Well, if you want to look into that on your own time, feel free," she said. "For now, let's get you back… home, I guess."

Minato and Yukari looked at Nayuki again, before they nodded. At that, they walked into the dorm building itself.

* * *

 **Xamusel: Finish!**

 **…** **don't mind me, I seem to have a thing for BlazBlue, so it appears to be. Anyway, review corner time, everyone!**

 **…** **no reviews again? That's just sad, don't you guys think? Well, this ought to be something I have to have corrected for a later story or so.**

 **Also, yes, I know I said I'd publish this on a Saturday… however, it's been longer than a month by now, and I just couldn't hold this off any longer. I'm not just publishing this chapter, I'm also publishing the rest of the story as it was written a long time ago, but it wasn't published due to waiting for Takeshi to get back to work on this story better. It's just taken** ** _soooooooo_** **long to publish this without knowing when he'd be ready to work on this again… and it seems like he's gonna take a long time to get back to this, sadly.**

 **Next story to be updated… or published, in this case, will be AWiI: Foreign Saga URE. Please give it the same attention you give this story. I'll be posting the complete updates ASAP, by the way, so that you guys can at least see where we were going with this.**

 **Anyway… here's Takeshi!**

* * *

 **Takeshi Yamato: Well, Minato and Yukari are back from their trip, Junpei is part of SEES, and the Commander Phantoms know about the Inves now. That last bit might have serious repercussions in the future.**

 **As Xam said, next up is the Foreign Saga URE. And it's going to be a bit different than the previous version… a brief hint as to how different it's going to be: "WAKE UP!"**

 **See you next time! :D**


	5. Chapter 4

**Xamusel: Now… this is the result of us following a plan somewhat, even with the twist that the previous chapter provided, since there actually is** ** _no_** **Plan B. Also, this chapter got started writing while Takeshi went to bed the night of July 22nd, 2015, when I should have been in bed as well… I should follow a plan of healthy living more often than not, don't you agree?**

 **Anyway, word of caution for those of you reading the side story, but… Foreign Saga URE will not strictly follow the canon of Xenosaga down to the letter. A clear example is the Miltia portion in the prologue of Foreign Saga URE… how do you possibly keep to canon when two of the protagonists discover a prototype A.M.W.S. unit that they can pilot… at age 6?**

 **Well, anyway, this chapter will include the first expedition to Tartarus… hopefully you guys find that we did this justice. This just happens to be a good opportunity for us, I'd say, to see how we stack up to other versions of the first expedition.**

 **In any event, this chapter will be the first in this story to have two songs in it, and also the last. The first song is Life is SHOW TIME, while the last one… well, that's spoilerific to a high degree. Just read the chapter all the way through. You'll even get a hint in the name of the chapter.**

 **Now, then… The Wheel Of Fate Is Turning. Rebel 1,** ** _Action_** **!**

* * *

 **A Wizard in Iwatodai Ultimate Rewrite Edition**  
 _Story written by Xamusel and Takeshi Yamato_

* * *

 _2030, April 17th, 2009_

* * *

When Minato and Yukari had finished settling into the Dorm again, the occupants decided to take part in a meeting that would involve the couple in more ways than one, up in the meeting room on the fourth floor.

"OK, the report from the doctors says you have a clean bill of health," Mitsuru began, "Though it seems both your bodies have undergone a decent amount of changes… and that's not counting Yukari's Driver."

Minato and Yukari both paled in shock slightly upon hearing that. _'Could they know?'_ the two of them thought in unison.

"They don't know just what the changes are, but it's clear you two have experienced a lot more than just the week you were comatose," Mitsuru continued. "And for some reason, what happened during that period has changed your bodies to match." She looked at them, arms crossed. "The doctors are going to keep running tests, but I'd like to hear what's happened to you in your own words. Would you mind filling us in?"

Minato was the first to recover from the shock. "It's a long and extremely complicated story, senpai," he said. "Or, rather, should I address you by your last name for the purposes of addressing a kohai?"

Mitsuru looked shocked at that. "Wait… what?" she asked.

Yukari slapped Minato on the arm, before exclaiming, "Minato! She doesn't know about that yet!"

Nayuki was the one to respond. "So… wait… what happened to your bodies… are you _older_ than us, now?" she asked.

Minato shook his head. "Not physically, I don't think," he said. " _Mentally_ , however, we're almost 40 years old total… though that's because of accumulated memories." Before the others could speak up, he added, "However, that's not what I meant. I meant, since I've had 10 years exposure to the Dark Hour, as it's called, and I've had more training with my Persona ability…"

Mitsuru's eyes widened. "10 years?!" she asked. "And the training… I assume you picked that up during the period you were comatose?"

"Actually, the Dark Hour exposure was from before the coma," Yukari mentioned. "The _training_ , on the other hand, wasn't." She shuddered for some reason. "I still remember when Minato and I started training our Persona abilities beyond that of their base forms, as well as the _other_ training…"

Nayuki looked curious. "I'm assuming you're talking about magic training for yourself, after you gained access to its power," she said to Yukari, "but was that all, or was there some other training?"

Before they could answer that—

 ** _"_** ** _Master Minato!"_** a voice sounded from inside a suitcase that was next to Mitsuru. **_"Could you please have someone get me out of here?!"_**

Mitsuru blinked, before reaching down to unlock and open the suitcase, which should have contained the Evoker and armband she was planning to offer Minato.

Instead of the Evoker and armband alone, however, there was a bat-like thing that flew out of the suitcase. **_"Thank any and every deity that listens!"_** the bat exclaimed. **_"I was worried I didn't have the chance to escape that stuffy place!"_**

"Kivat?" Minato asked.

Mitsuru, Nayuki, Akihiko, and Junpei all looked askance at the bat-thing as it flew around, before landing on Minato's shoulder. "Arisato… Minato-senpai…" Mitsuru began, still getting used to the fact that he had much more experience in the Dark Hour than her, "…what is that?"

 ** _"_** ** _Not what, milady,"_** the bat said. **_"The correct thing to say is_** **who** ** _is that… and my name is Kivat-bat the Ninth, ninth generation in a row to have the name as my sires, and personal bond slave of Master Minato."_**

They all blinked again. "Jeez, you went through a rather hectic time, didn't you two?" Nayuki asked finally after a moment of silence.

"It gets better," Yukari said facetiously. "Apparently, _Minato_ also gained the powers of a Kamen Rider while in the other reality."

Nayuki's eyes bugged out. "What?" she asked. "I'm not sensing magic from him, so… another Rider power?"

"Exactly," Minato replied. "Kamen Rider Kiva, at your service."

"Kiva?" Junpei asked. "That actually sounds familiar… I'll be right back!" He ran from the room before anyone could ask where he was going.

"Where did Iori-san go?" Yukari asked.

They all shrugged, but were answered when he ran back in a few moments later, carrying a collection of… newspaper clippings?

 ** _"_** ** _Why do you have newspaper clippings?"_** Kivat asked Junpei.

Junpei simply placed them on the table, where they could see… images of another Kamen Rider fighting monsters.

"I've always been a fan of the Kamen Riders, even if I've never seen one in person," he said. "Whenever one manages to make the news, I've saved the article in question. I remembered hearing the name 'Kiva' from one of those articles.

Minato looked at one article in question, before his eyes widened in shock. "No way…" he said. "There's _another_ Kamen Rider Kiva out there?!"

"Looks like," Nayuki said. "Might use a local form of Kivat-bat the Ninth, or one of his sires… but that is your Rider outfit, I'm assuming?"

"No doubt about it," Minato said. "I don't know how the other Kiva is able to pull it off, though, but it seems to be a solid job."

"Well, if you end up using your Rider powers outside the Dark Hour, there's a chance he might find out about it through the news or something," Nayuki said. "If that's the case, he might come over here looking for answers of some kind."

"Well… crap," Yukari said. "I hope that the other Kiva is less inclined to be hostile…"

"We'll be there to help if he is," Mitsuru said, as she handed Minato the armband and Evoker to Minato. "At least, I hope we will be… will you join us in SEES and lend us your strength… Minato-senpai?"

Minato used a pose to say he was thinking on it, before he said, "Alright. I'll join you."

Mitsuru smiled, even as Yukari hugged Minato.

"Glad to have you in the team, Minato-san," Nayuki said.

At that moment, the phone rang.

Mitsuru went over to the phone and picked it up. "SEES Dorm, Kirijo speaking," she said.

 _"_ _Mitsuru-san, I'm glad you picked up,"_ the voice on the other end said.

"Ah, Chairman," she said, shifting him to speakerphone. "Good to hear from you."

 _"_ _Thank you,"_ Ikutsuki said. _"Now, I don't know if I'm a bit late on this or not, but, did you give Arisato an Evoker yet?"_

"Just now," she replied. "He's agreed to join us."

 _"_ _Thank goodness,"_ Ikutsuki said, sighing in audible relief. _"I was worried he'd say no, like I'm certain a few of you were."_

"Yes," Mitsuru replied. "Luckily those worries were unfounded."

 _"_ _Indeed,"_ Ikutsuki said. _"Now… how soon will you have the group go into Tartarus?"_

"Tartarus?" Junpei asked.

Ignoring him for the moment, Mitsuru said, "I was thinking tomorrow, Mister Chairman," she said. "We might as well get started as soon as we're able."

 _"_ _Excellent,"_ Ikutsuki said. _"Well, don't forget to go at all… the source of the Shadows is_ definitely _Tartarus."_

"Understood, Mister Chairman," Mitsuru replied. "If that is all…"

 _"_ _Ah, yes,"_ Ikutsuki said. _"I'll let you get back to what you were doing… after all, your kohai need your support, especially Arisato."_ With that, he hung up the phone.

Mitsuru sighed a bit as the phone deactivated on their end. "I wonder how he'd react to the knowledge of Minato-senpai's new training and powers…" she muttered under her breath.

"You say something, Kirijo?" Minato asked.

"Nothing," Mitsuru replied. "Anyway, for now let's get some rest - we have school tomorrow, in addition to our run to Tartarus. We'll meet up here in the Command Room after school to get ready.

Everyone else nodded—

"Um… what's Tartarus?" Junpei asked. "Sounds like Toothpaste."

* * *

 _The magic rings, the Wizard Rings._

(A red magic circle appears over a black background. Four lights appear at the main corners of the Circle, from which appear the Flame, Water, Hurricane, and Land Style Rings.)

 _They shine on both hands of the modern mage._

(The Rings float in different directions, Water, Hurricane, and Land going off the screen as Flame lands on Nayuki's left middle finger as she appears silhouetted in front of the magic circle, Driver On Ring on her right middle finger)

 _As she changes despair into hope._

(A close-up image of Nayuki's head and shoulders, still silhouetted, as the helmet and upper outfit of Wizard Flame Style super-impose themselves over her form.)

 **(BGM: Life is SHOW TIME [TV Version])**

 _Maji ka? Maji de? Maji da! Showtime!_ _ **(Seriously [it's magic]!? Really!? I'm serious! Show Time!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style does a few spins in various positions relative to a red magic circle on a white background, before appearing on Winger WizarDragon, which flies off the screen before WizarDragon flies back onto the screen, lobbing a fireball from its mouth as Wizard releases a Magic Circle from her ring before the flash resolves into the title logo.)

 _Maru de tsuki to taiyou_ _ **(It's like the shock)**_

(Nayuki is seen standing atop the Iwatodai Dorms building, overlooking the whole town, before the scene shifts to a solar eclipse, then to Wizard Flame Style spinning to face her right, and finally to Nayuki spinning to face her left.)

 _Kasanaru toki no shougeki_ _ **(When the moon and the sun collide!)**_

(Nayuki stands in the middle of a crowded street, head down, before raising it somewhat to look at a boy in a style similar to that of a jailbird, who looks up to reveal Pharos.)

 _Dare datte kiseki shinjite mitai_ _ **(Everyone wants to believe in a miracle)**_

(Pharos lifts his right hand up, the back of it facing Nayuki, and the screen shifts to show them reaching for each other's hand, before it shows them walking across the street to each other, Mitsuru appearing on Pharos' side, Minato showing up on Nayuki's side.)

 _Kitto hitotsu you_ _fukaketsu no ENAJI_ _kokoro no da ne_ _ **(The indispensable energy that people need comes from the heart)**_

(The background shatters, before Mitsuru drives up on her own motorcycle, pulling off her helmet before brandishing her rapier and Evoker. Minato then appears, a silhouetted image of Thanatos behind him, before a flash of light turns him into a silhouetted form [Kamen Rider Kiva]. Pharos and Nayuki appear in front of a Velvet Doorway.)

 _Yume to yosou ii imi de uragitte kureru mono_ _ **(Dreams and expectations will betray you in a good way)**_

(Yukari Takeba is seen transforming into a silhouetted form [Kamen Rider Sage], while a magic ball shows Nayuki transforming into Kamen Rider Wizard, the ball being held by Pharos.)

 _3! 21! 1! Showtime!_

(The scene shows Pharos' immediate area glowing in light.)

 _Magic Time!_

(Wizard Flame Style is seen in front of a building, jumping and spinning in place.)

 _TRICK ja nai!_ _ **(It's no trick!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style lands on the ground, lifting her right hand to her mask, before lowering her arm.)

 _Mahou HIIRO hanpa nee ze_ _ **(The Magic Hero is no pushover!)**_

(A red magic circle appears under her feet, with three separate magic circles, red, blue, and yellow, underneath the Red Garuda, Blue Unicorn, and Yellow Kraken PlaMonsters respectively, before Wizard Flame Style spins around and sends her familiars out.)

 _Mo-to halelujah_

(Wizard Flame Style crushes a card in her hand, as Artemis appears behind her.)

 _Kioku no roots moguri-konde kibou sukui-dase_ _ **(Dig into the roots of memory and save that hope!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style leaps through a blue magic circle to her right, becoming Wizard Water Style, then leaps up through a green magic circle to become Hurricane Style, then drops down through a yellow magic circle to become Land Style.)

 _Show Time!_

(Nayuki and Pharos reach for each other's hands and grab them.)

 _Life is showtime! Tobikiri no_ _ **(Life is Showtime! It's exhilerating!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style is seen falling through magic circles.)

 _Unmei to RAIFU mucha shite mo_ _ **(Even if you're reckless with fate and life!)**_

(Wizard Flame Style is riding Machine Winger down a road, as WizarDragon flies up alongside. Machine Winger and WizarDragon combine to form Winger WizarDragon, with Nayuki still riding.)

 _Mo-to halelujah_

(Back with the close up on Nayuki and Pharos' hands, as Nayuki moves the Hope Ring towards Pharos' finger.)

 _Kinou, kyou, ashita, mirai_ _ **(Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, and in the future…)**_

(Nayuki, Minato, Yukari, and Mitsuru are in the Iwatodai dorm, each doing various things. Their positions switch two times, with each switch showing a new set of activities.)

 _Subete no namida wo_ _ **(…all those tears…)**_

(Nayuki is riding Machine Winger, Mitsuru riding behind her.)

 _Show Time!_

(Nayuki finishes sliding the Hope Ring onto Pharos' finger, the ring beginning to light up.)

 _Kouseki ni kaette yaruze_ _ **(…I will change them into jewels!)**_

(Wizard's four main Styles come into view, Flame in the center, Water from the right, Hurricane from above, and Land from the left. The four pose identically as Water, Hurricane, and Land turn into light and merge with Flame.)

 _Maji ka? Maji de? Maji da! Showtime!_ _ **(Seriously [it's magic]!? Really!? I'm serious! Show Time!)**_

(Brief shot of Nayuki holding up her left hand with the Flame Style Ring on it, followed by Wizard Flame Style doing a brief spin and posing in front of Machine Winger, the story logo once again flaming into existence in the foreground.)

* * *

 **Chapter 004:** Just Live More

* * *

 _1000, April 18th, 2009_

* * *

The first morning class was History. And it was… odd, to say the least. Mainly because the teacher, Mr. Ono, who constantly wore a Samurai Helmet, was totally interested in the Sengoku Era to the exclusion of all other periods of history.

"That's enough about mammoths…" he was saying. "I don't see the big deal. They're just huge elephants. And that wraps it up for the stone age. *sigh*… I'm tired of lessons about stones. I'd rather talk about the Sengoku era! Japanese history's not that exciting until then."

 _'_ _Gee, if only you knew what the future held in one part of reality,'_ Yukari thought.

"Though I'm paid to do this, so I've gotta…" Mr. Ono muttered. "It's tough being an adult."

 _'_ _You think_ you _have it rough? Try Yukari and I…_ we _made it to adulthood before coming back here, and we're_ still _getting used to the hormones again,'_ Minato mentally snarked.

"Next is… the Jomon period?" the teacher asked incredulously. "When do the samurai get their day in the sun?!" He paused. "I'll just ask a question at random and call it a day…" his eyes roamed the class as he searched for a victim… "Hey, Junpei! What was the style of houses in the Jomon period called?"

"Uhh… how am I supposed to know something from way back then?" Junpei whispered. "Quick, Minato-san! What the heck is he talking about?!"

"Mud huts, Junpei-san," Minato told his classmate.

After Junpei repeated the answer, Mr. Ono said, "That's correct. Mud huts were built by digging a hole in the ground and supporting the roof. …It's no use. I can't get interested. Ugh… I wanna get to the age of katanas. Everything else is so dull…"

 _'_ _Well, that's interesting,'_ Nayuki thought. _'How do we manage to keep the teacher interested in his subject material?'_

"Hey…!" Junpei muttered. "I answered right, and I don't get any credit?"

 _'_ _Actually,_ I _answered right,'_ Minato mentally snarked again.

"Tch… oh, well," Junpei continued. "Thanks, Minato-san."

At that point, Minato's charm went up, especially since his ability to answer the questions for Junpei went unnoticed by only the teachers.

* * *

 _1135, April 18th, 2009_

* * *

Once again, Nayuki and Mitsuru were sharing lunch and swapping stories. This time, however, the first story was from Nayuki about the History Class.

"Honestly, Senpai, it's like he's interested in the Sengoku era and Samurai to the exclusion of everything else!" Nayuki was saying. "How does someone like that even become a history teacher?"

With an amused shake of her head, Mitsuru answered, "Honestly, the fact that he knows about those things as an expert is why he was hired to begin with, Kinomoto. It's not like we could turn him down…"

Nayuki sighed. "Makes an odd sort of sense," she said. "How's your day been so far?"

"It's been decent, to say the least," Mitsuru answered. "Honestly, the only thing wrong with it is that nobody else seems to be on my level of discussion, so it would seem."

"…Is that part of why you've made lunch with me a regular thing?" Nayuki asked. "I'm able to match you conversation-wise?"

"A small part, really," Mitsuru answered. "Not like I would try making this a regular thing for that reason only…" Here, she blushed. "In any case, I…"

Nayuki blinked. "Mitsuru… are you…" she couldn't really put words to what she was beginning to realize - at least, none that wouldn't make Mitsuru blush more.

"Maybe…?" she answered. "I mean, I don't really have much of a preference between men and women, but…" she blushed more. "I think… I'm falling for you."

Nayuki blushed. "I… as I've likely already mentioned, my only relationship experience was Koyomi," she said. "And… it's only been about a month or two… but… I can definitely feel some kind of attraction to you, senpai…"

"Thank you… Nayuki-chan," Mitsuru said, before she could catch herself.

"You're welcome… Mitsuru-chan," Nayuki replied.

At that moment, the door to the roof opened up, revealing Akihiko. "What are you two doing up here on the roof?" he asked. "I've been looking for you two for a while now… do you know how hard it is to find you two out of the lunch room?"

"A… Akihiko-senpai!" Nayuki said with a bit of shock. "Wh… what did you want us for?"

"The Chairman wanted me to inform you that everyone in the Dorm was to get some supplies from Officer Kurosawa's supply chain for tonight's operation," Akihiko said. "Of course, given the circumstances…"

"What are you implying, Akihiko?" Mitsuru questioned the boxer.

"Nothing that shouldn't be implied, Mitsuru, just the fact that we're short on cash at the moment to give everyone 5,000 yen," Akihiko answered.

"I doubt I need it," Nayuki replied, holding up a couple of the Rings she currently had on her. "I'm good in a fight as I am now.

"…how much ammo do you have with your main weapon's gun form?" Akihiko asked.

"I don't know… as far as I can tell, it's never run out of ammo since I've gotten it," Nayuki admitted.

"Well, in case you can't use your main weapon," Akihiko said, holding up a sum of money, "make sure you see Officer Kurosawa. It's not like I'm forcing you to, Kinomoto-san, just making sure you've covered your bases."

"Right," Nayuki said, as she took the money. "I'll take a look."

"That's all I'm asking for," Akihiko said. "Now, if you'll excuse me…" With that, he walked over to the stairwell, closing the door behind him.

"That… what?" Mitsuru asked.

"Not sure," Nayuki admitted. After a brief pause, she continued, "And on the topic of… us… why don't we try and take things slow, see how they work out?"

"Why… yes, of course, Nayuki-chan… wait, did I just call you by your first name, Kinomoto?" Mitsuru asked as she figured out what she'd said.

"You did… and I do have to admit, I liked it, Mitsuru-senpai," Nayuki replied.

"Um… drop the -senpai and add the -chan, please," Mitsuru said. "I mean… I liked what you called me as well…"

"All right… Mitsuru-chan," Nayuki replied. "So…"

"Yes?" Mitsuru asked.

"Perhaps we could try going on dates… outside of school?" Nayuki ventured. "Lunch dates on Sundays and holidays, maybe an occasional dinner date after school?"

"I… I'm not averse to the idea, actually," Mitsuru admitted. "I don't see why not."

Nayuki sent up a silent mental cheer. "Alright," she said. "We can try our first one tomorrow, if that works alright."

"Yes… that works for me, Nayuki-chan," Mitsuru answered. "It's a date."

If only they knew what would happen later that month…

* * *

 _2030, April 18th, 2009_

* * *

After everyone, including Nayuki, bought a weapon of some sort, the group gathered at the Command Room, each of them looking at their chosen weapon some more. Junpei had gotten a two-handed sword that he didn't know how to use, Yukari had purchased some arrows for what almost everyone thought was her archery set (only Minato knew what it was), Nayuki had settled for a switchblade (how she had found that, nobody would ever know, not even herself), Akihiko bought a new pair of boxing gloves, Mitsuru had bought a new rapier, and Minato… didn't buy anything?

"Why didn't you buy anything, Minato-san?" Nayuki asked.

"I already _have_ a weapon of choice," Minato answered. "It's more like I had to buy some batteries for it, since the power supply nearly ran out."

"Batteries?" Junpei asked. "What, do you have a freaking Lightsaber or something?"

Minato's silence was very palpable.

"Wait… don't tell me you _actually_ have a real-life LIGHTSABER?!" Junpei asked.

"Yes… yes I do," Minato answered, lifting it out of his bag and opening a slot. "It's dangerously low on power, too, so I had to get some digital watch batteries."

"Holy cow, man! What kind of journey did you and Yukari-san _go on?!_ " Junpei exclaimed, even as Minato placed in the new batteries.

"A journey beyond Mother Earth, actually," Minato answered. "Trust me, Earth had been abandoned by all but about .2% of the population at the time people actually left, with much of the population moving to other planets in our galaxy."

"Wow… that sounds… pretty big," Nayuki remarked.

"It gets crazier," Minato said. "By the time people had found Earth again, it had fallen into some sort of mess that can't be explained away easily… all because of some conflict between Law and Chaos."

"Law and Chaos?" Mitsuru asked.

"On one side," Yukari spoke up, "you have the Celestial Host and anyone following the mandates of a supreme one… including the entity known as Satan. The other side, on the other hand, is—"

"Wait, wait, wait," Junpei interrupted. "Satan on the side of the Celestial Host? How does that work?!"

Minato facepalmed at that. "Right… I think we need to get a diagram sorted out here," he said, before he withdrew a sheet of paper. "The Celestial Host is in one corner of this diagram," he said, putting the sheet down for the others to look at. Pointing at the top left, he said, "This is Lawful Light. Think like the Alignment system used in Dungeons and Dragons before 4e, only you take out Good and Evil, replacing them with Light and Dark. Anyway, the Celestial Host would be here… now, guess where Satan's at."

"Umm…" Junpei said, "Chaotic Dark?"

"Nope," Yukari said. " _Lawful_ Dark, actually."

"…OK…" Junpei said. "That's something different than what my uncle usually says…"

"Note that it could be vastly different from how it works in this reality," Minato said. "However, Satan upholds laws as part of the punishment thing he does for people who wind up in Hell. The one on the opposite side of Law in the Dark category… is Lucifer."

"OK, now it makes a bit more sense," Junpei remarked. "Uncle's a Free Methodist, and apparently his texts somehow put Satan and Lucifer as the same thing, but if they're separate… Yeah, that makes a lot more sense why Satan would be on the Lawful side."

"It's not something that a lot of people would find acceptable, in any case," Minato said. "Especially since Law is supposed to be the domain of one person altogether in the supernatural sense… with everyone else an imposter."

"Huh…" Junpei remarked. "So that universe was engaged in a massive fight between the two sides?"

"Actually… that was just Earth, for the most part, which had regained its population from about 14 million to closer to 14 _billion_ people," Yukari answered. "It wasn't until more recently that the conflict spread to the rest of the galaxy… thanks to one man and his selfish desires."

"That doesn't sound good," Nayuki remarked.

"If I were to use book terms, I'd say that the plot kicked off at the time that one man made a selfish deal," Minato said.

"Right," Junpei remarked. "That's sort of a common point, in stories, to be honest. Someone makes a deal for power, and everything spirals out of control."

Everyone else looked at Junpei as if he'd grown a second head.

"What? I read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy books!" he replied. "And it always seems to go like that in the stories I read!"

Minato and Yukari facepalmed. "Oh…" they said as one.

"Anyway, shall we go ahead and set up a plan for tonight's operation?" Mitsuru asked.

"May as well," Minato answered. "Still, who's gonna be in charge while we go in?"

"I'll need to stay in the lobby of the place," Mitsuru replied. "My Persona, while capable of combat, also has the best scanning abilities of any Persona we know of right now. And outside support is crucial, because the layout changes from day to day."

"Right…" Minato said. "However, I meant, who's going to lead the group going past the lobby?"

"Well… Akihiko's the one with the most experience, but honestly, he's more a straight-up fighter than a leader. Based on actual combat experience and ability, I was debating between you, Takeba, and Nayuki-chan," Mitsuru replied.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait… did you just say 'Nayuki- _chan_ '?!" Yukari questioned Mitsuru. "I mean, senpai… that's something I never thought would happen with you!"

"Neither of us thought something like that could happen, either," Nayuki admitted. "But at lunch today… we both realized we had some form of attraction to each other… we're taking it slow, seeing what happens."

Yukari looked about ready to facepalm again, only resisting that because of Minato holding her hands away. "Please, Yukari!" he said. "Don't do this to yourself!"

"Er… oh, fine," Yukari said. "In any case, I nominate Minato, Mitsuru-senpai."

"I'm fine with Minato-san leading," Nayuki added.

"Uh… wait, what?" Minato asked, looking at the other two candidates. "Wait… are you serious?"

"I'm fine in a secondary role," Nayuki admitted. "Honestly, I operated by myself with only noncombat support before I ran into Beast for the first time - and even then there wasn't a specified leader of our group - Beast and I were more friendly rivals than teammates. So, yeah, I'm okay with someone else taking the leadership role."

Before Minato could say anything about accepting the position or not—

"Wait, why one of them?!" Junpei asked. "Why not me?!"

Minato looked about ready to slap Junpei upside the head, except Yukari did it for him, once he let go of her hands.

"OW!" Junpei yelled from the force of the slap.

"Stupei!" she yelled. " _You_ haven't learned to follow directions yet! How can we trust you to give sound orders out there when there's no clear indication that you took the first step to leadership?!"

Junpei just looked stunned for a moment, before finally hanging his head in defeat. "Alright, alright, fine…" he muttered.

"If it makes you feel better," Minato said, "I'll give you a trial run later… maybe by the time the next Full Moon hits."

"Alright… thanks," Junpei replied, before he said, "Wait… why a Full Moon?"

"Simple," Minato said. "That's when the last major Shadow was active, earlier this month."

Mitsuru hummed thoughtfully. "I hadn't realized that, but considering the date, you're right," she said. "So you're assuming that another major one will show up every consecutive full moon?"

"For the most part, yes," Minato said. "After all, there was initially a big seal on those particular Shadows, and I happened to be acquainted with it all too much…"

"I sense a story there, but I won't force you to tell it," Mitsuru replied. "For now, let's get ready."

"Very well," Minato said. Moving to the doorway, he stopped in mid-stride. "So… where's Tartarus?"

* * *

 _2359, April 18th, 2009_

* * *

"…you've got to be kidding me," MInato said in a bland tone when he saw their destination close up, since it was not the normal idea of where to find Tartarus.

"This is it…?" Junpei asked as they all gazed… at their school. "This is the place? Why HERE?!"

"Just be patient," Akihiko said. "It's almost midnight."

Indeed, a few seconds passed before the Dark Hour hit, and almost instantly the school began… warping. Shifting. Growing. In very short order, what had once been the school was now a giant tower, so tall it pierced the clouds.

Minato gaped at what he saw. "Er… is this the Tower of Babel here?" he asked at last.

"Likely similar, but no," Mitsuru informed. "This is Tartarus, the labyrinth that only appears during the Dark Hour - once the Dark Hour passes, everything returns to normal."

"I hate to ask this, but, suppose someone gets trapped in Tartarus…" Minato asked. "What happens to them?"

"We don't know for sure," Mitsuru replied. "We've always made sure that anyone who goes in comes back out before the Dark Hour ends. Theories abound, though."

"You mean hypotheses, right, Mitsuru-senpai?" Yukari asked. "There's a difference."

"R… right," Mitsuru replied. "Still, one of the more common hypotheses is that since Tartarus exists only in the Dark Hour, time affects it differently - exactly how differently, no one is sure.

"Makes sense," Minato said, nodding. "Now… how about we enter the tower?"

"Right," Mitsuru said, as she unlocked the front gate. "This way."

With that, the group walked into Tartarus, heading into the lobby.

* * *

Once the group was inside the lobby, everyone was preparing their weapons to be sure that they would work in the Dark Hour, Minato turning on his Lightsaber to make sure it was alright. After seeing it was alright, Minato was about to walk over to the stairwell when a bright flash of blue caught his eye, turning him to the left.

 _'_ _What the… Igor?'_ he thought. _'What does he need?'_

Taking the time to walk over to the source of the flash, which was a blue doorway, he moved his hand to the doorknob—

 _'_ _Drat… it's locked,'_ he thought more. _'If only I still had the Velvet Key… wait,_ yes _I do!'_

With that, he used the key to unlock the door, opening it up.

* * *

"Welcome back," Igor said as Minato found himself in the Velvet Room again. "The time has come for you to wield your power."

"Didn't you already tell me this the third time I came here?" Minato asked. "I mean, the second time I came here was when I was on the _Woglinde_ , when you had to hijack my dreams to make sure I remembered the contract, and the _third_ time was while I was on the _Elsa_ … moments before it was time to eat some of Chief Uzuki's curry."

Igor chuckled sheepishly. "My apologies," he said. "Still, I thought it best to make contact again. You know the manner in how I am to assist you, right?"

"You told me that on trip number four, actually," Minato answered. "That would be to fuse and store info on Personas that I obtain somehow… like that overpowered Pixie with the Megidolaon nuclear spell."

"True, true," Igor replied. "Well, regardless, if you ever need my services, you will find my door in the lobby of the tower, or a back alley in the nearby shopping mall if you need me during the day."

"Thanks, Igor," Minato said. Standing up from his spot in the Velvet Room, he walked over to the door, before pausing in mid-stride. "Also, are there any bounties or requests you need me to fulfil, Elizabeth-san?"

"Not at the moment, young master," Elizabeth replied. "However, I will have some for you in the near future."

"Thanks, Elizabeth-san," Minato said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, then…" With that, he walked out the door, leaving the two inhabitants alone again.

* * *

"You okay there, Minato-san?" Nayuki asked.

Minato blinked a bit when he found himself facing the door again, before asking Nayuki, "Do you see the door in front of me?"

"A bit… though it's not entirely clear," she informed. "What is it?"

"The door to the Velvet Room," Minato answered. "It's where I've honed my power while I was in the other reality, actually."

"I see," Mitsuru replied. "I would like to hear more about this later, but for right now, we have other things to do."

"Sure thing, Kirijo," Minato nodded in agreement. "Let's go!"

* * *

Soon enough, the group of five, including Akihiko, were preparing to run through the second floor of Tartarus, with Minato taking the lead. "Okay…" he said. "What are we expected to encounter?" he asked Mitsuru.

" _Since this is just the bottom floor, you should encounter only basic Shadows,_ " Mitsuru replied. " _There will be stairs leading to the next floor, but don't worry about them for now - this time is just to get you used to fighting in Tartarus._ "

"Right," Minato said, before turning to face the others. "Ready to go?"

Nayuki nodded. "I'm set," she said. She held up her hands to reveal the Driver On and Flame Style Rings. "Ready for anything."

Yukari did the same, except with her other Ring being a ring in the shape of a Triceratops head. "I'm ready for what could lie ahead," she said.

Junpei brought out his sword… holding it like a baseball bat. "I'm ready for action!" he said.

"Akihiko-san?" Minato asked.

"I'm ready," Akihiko replied, revealing that his weapon was a pair of gloves. "Let's do this."

"Right," Minato nodded in approval, before rushing forward to the first Shadow.

 _"_ _Be careful,"_ Mitsuru said. _"I'm detecting a Shadow Mass in front of you by a few meters, so don't let it get the drop on you."_

"We'll be careful, Mitsuru-senpai," Yukari said. "Hopefully, the Shadow Mass won't hurt us that bad, right?"

"Let's try not to trigger Murphy, Yukari," Minato remarked as they silently advanced on it. "Instead, let's get the drop on it."

"Allow me," Nayuki said, using her Driver On Ring to activate her WizarDriver, before switching it out for her Connect Ring to grab the WizarSwordGun. Upon grabbing and shifting it to Gun Mode, she took aim at the Shadow Mass and fired, impacting it and causing it to split into a group of the blobs with blue masks.

"These guys are weak to fire, aren't they?" Minato asked, curious about that detail that he almost forgot about.

 _"_ _Correct,"_ Mitsuru replied. _"Use Agi to defeat them, or Maragi, if you have it."_

Nayuki nodded, before she summoned Artemis and called out, "Artemis, **MARAGI!** "

Artemis appeared, before blasting the Shadows with a much larger Maragi than would be normal, incinerating all the Shadows in seconds.

"Hey…!" Junpei pouted. "Leave some for us, next time, will ya?!"

At that moment, before Nayuki could say anything, a staticy sound was heard from in front of them.

"W-what was that?" Nayuki asked.

"I dunno," Akihiko answered. "Whatever it is, it's not normal."

"Let's advance with caution," Minato ordered. "Could be anything, so let's be ready for it."

The group nodded, and they slowly advanced towards the staticy sound. Upon arriving at the source of the noise, a giant Shadow Mass showed up, only…

"What's up with the mask?" Junpei asked. "It's blank!"

"Might need a bit extra for this one…" Nayuki replied as her Persona's Tarot Card appeared in her hand. "PERSONA!" she called, crushing the card, causing Artemis to appear before her.

When Artemis was about to swing its glaive at the 'Shadow Mass', the swing stopped just mere centimeters away from the skin, making everyone wonder what happened.

" **Foolish mortal…** " the Shadow spoke up, shifting forms to reveal it was a being with over a thousand masks all over its body. " **You honestly thought you could defeat me? Even with your current power set, you are incapable of hurting me!** "

Artemis returned to within Nayuki's soul as they almost all gazed on the being with awe and a little bit of fear. "Wh… what are you?" Akihiko asked.

"Not what," Minato snarled, showing a great amount of deep-seated hatred towards the being. "The correct question starts with who, Akihiko-senpai, and I know just who it is… Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos!"

With a reverberating laugh, Nyarlathotep said, " **It seems you remember me from your journey in the other reality, Minato Arisato. I'm impressed you retained your memories from that body… then again, this would have been something you'd share with Yukari Takeba, when you were ready to talk… Correct?** "

"He told me all about his encounter with you, Crawling Chaos," Yukari growled. "We won't let you have your way."

" **Oh? But I already have my way, Yukari Takeba,** " Nyarlathotep said. " **In fact… this whole city has been under my influence ever since 11 years ago, when I moved the demons in, putting them under the guise of what you call 'Shadows'. 10 years ago, they started to bring about the end of the world on my orders, with the objective being that they needed to kill Humanity in one fell swoop.** "

"We will stop you," Nayuki remarked. "It may not be this instant, but we will stop your plans."

With another reverberating laugh, Nyarly said, " **How can you stop my plans? They've been in motion for over 13 years, ever since I made myself a Persona, one to manipulate the Branch President of SEBEC with… and even brought about the end of the world myself 10 years ago, which would've left only Sumaru City active, if it weren't for the interference of my rival!** "

"If you mean Philemon, he's helping us this time, as well," Nayuki replied. "And we will find a way. Count on it."

" **Don't bet on it,** " Nyarly countered. " **I'll take my leave, but only so that you'll die by some low-ranking demons I'll leave behind to kill you with!** " With that, he vanished, leaving behind a group of demons that were out of the guise they were in before.

As the Demons appeared, Nayuki shifted her WizarDriver to Henshin input and transformed into Flame Style. At the same time, Kivat-bat the Ninth flew up to Minato and said, " ** _I do believe it is time to show just what we can do, Master Minato!_** "

"You got it, Kivat!" Minato said, grabbing Kivat with his right hand.

" ** _Bite!_** " Kivat said as its mouth opened, before Minato brought it to his left hand where it bit down.

A high-pitched whistling noise could be heard, as stained-glass-esque markings formed on Minato's face and the exposed parts of his skin, before chains materialized around his waist, solidifying into the belt part of his Driver, with six apparent whistles on his sides, three on the left and three on the right. "Henshin!" Minato called, before attaching Kivat's feet to a bar on the belt, Kivat then falling into place upside down, with its mouth facing forward. Liquid metal seemed to cover Minato's body, and shifted shape before it seemed to shatter, leaving behind a transformed Minato.

Upon losing the liquid metal surface, Minato looked as if he'd gained a fair bit of muscle mass, as well as a couple inches in height. Not only that, but he now wore a bodysuit that had red muscle coverings on the front of his torso, with silver shoulder guards, silver side armor, a red belt with pouches on the sides holding the fang-like whistles, a silver boot with silver chains wrapped around it, and black everything else except for the mask. The mask had black trim around the golden bat wing-like bug-esque eyes, a silver faceplate, and red for what looked to be the rest of the bat motif… the rest of the mask being black. This was Kamen Rider Kiva… or, at least, an alternate Kiva.

* * *

 _Meanwhile_

* * *

It was a dark and quiet night in Castle Doran, home of the current King of Fangires, Kamen Rider Kiva (the actual one), though currently in his non-transformed state as Wataru Kurenai. Although he wouldn't be awake at night normally, Wataru was troubled for the past week or so. Normally, this would be incapable of keeping him awake, but he was so troubled he couldn't sleep at all, mainly about something he felt eight days prior… he felt an avatar of Death itself.

At that point, a mechanical bat flew in. **_"Wataru, I'm sensing something strange…"_** it said.

Wataru looked at the mechanical bat and asked, "Does it have to do with the strange time paradox that's going on even here, Kivat?"

 ** _"_** ** _Possibly…"_** Kivat-bat the Third replied. **_"It's more like what I could sense when your son and mine showed up from that future with the Neo-Fangires… only slightly more distant, and something different at the same time."_**

This caused Wataru to look at Kivat-bat the Third in interest. "You mean another Kiva showed up? Can you pinpoint where?"

 ** _"_** ** _I'm not entirely sure… the closer I get, the easier it would be to sense them."_**

Wataru looked at a photo he had taken with his son from the alternate future. It showed the two of them smiling with Wataru's Queen and their friends, after the Neo-Fangire threat had been taken care of, even as Wataru held onto a violin that he had made that _finally_ surpassed that of his father's creations. With a nod, he turned back to his companion and said, "Alright… we'd better go to the Human World again, then, in order to sense where this Kiva is."

 ** _"_** ** _Agreed, Wataru,"_** Kivat said. **_"I have no idea why another Kiva would come here, but if they have, then there's likely a threat as great as the Fangires were before you became the King, if not greater."_**

"Agreed," Wataru said. "Now, let us be off." With that, he grabbed Kivat and teleported from Castle Doran to the Human World.

* * *

 _Back in Tartarus_

* * *

Minato shivered in his Kiva outfit. "Who's talking about me behind my back, and why do I feel like something's about to happen that's unrelated to this mess?" he asked.

"No time to worry about that now," Yukari said, even as she activated her SageDriver. "And no holding back, either! Henshin!" She switched her Driver to Henshin Input, and ran her Triceratops-styled Ring over the Driver.

" ** _TRICERATOPS, PLEASE!_** " Yukari's SageDriver called, starting Yukari's transformation as a pink Magic Circle appeared above her and descending, her outfit forming as it passed over her. The outfit was in the form of a pink and dark red color scheme, with pink on the inside of the dark red coat, in the starting form that looked like a typical Kamen Rider outfit… only with protrusions that looked like they belonged to a Triceratops. The protrusions were in the same position that a regular Triceratops would have its horns and the back of its head that protected the neck.

When the demons finished forming, they were revealed to be imp-like creatures with staves that had fire on the top portion, holding onto a leash of some sort each. "Oh, great, Ukobachs?!" Minato exclaimed. "What's next, _Hell Hounds_?!"

As if answering him, Hell Hounds appeared attached to the leashes.

"Way to taunt Murphy there, Minato-san," Nayuki said, switching to Water Style.

"Oh, come _on_!" Minato yelled throughout Tartarus. "And _that_ , everyone, is why we don't tempt Murphy… otherwise, we'd end up sent to the Shinigami for an early death!"

At that point, something _else_ showed up.

With a clinking noise, everyone else turned to face the source, before Akihiko gaped at what he saw. "Ugh… Minato-senpai! You just _had_ to call the Grim Reaper here, didn't you?!" Akihiko cried out, causing everyone else to cringe.

Indeed, it was the Grim Reaper, even though it was nothing but a Shadow of the Death Arcana. It wore gray robes and broken manacles on its wrists, chains attached to the manacles, while wielding a pair of… extra-long barreled pistols?

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this…?" Minato asked.

 ** _"_** ** _Worry not…_** ** _"_** the Grim Reaper spoke, shocking the heroes. **_"_** ** _I'm here to aid you in this war against Nyarlathotep._** ** _"_**

Minato looked the Grim Reaper in the eyes before asking, "Why should we trust your word? For all we know, you could be working with Nyarlathotep to kill off the whole world!"

The Grim Reaper raised one of its pistols and fired on something behind Minato, causing a whimpering noise to be heard from a creature behind them… wait, _what_?!

Everyone else turned to face the Ukobachs and the Hell Hounds, suddenly remembering that they were there to begin with. With a collective facepalm, everyone looked back at the Grim Reaper and said in sync, "Oh." After that, they moved to fight the demons.

Nayuki struck first, firing a barrage of silver bullets from her WizarSwordGun, before switching her blade to Sword Mode and charging in.

The Hell Hounds and their Ukobach tamers were impacted by the silver bullets, the doggy injured by the Grim Reaper dying by means of the silver overloading its pain threshold, and the Ukobach holding onto its leash ready to dish some revenge on Nayuki. Moving its staff in a fancy manner unbefitting a demon like itself, it unleashed a fireball on her from the staff, throwing it with kinetic force.

She rolled away from the fireball, before calling out, "Artemis, **MALAQUA!** " as she summoned her Persona, unleashing the overpowered water spell on the remaining Ukobachs and Hell Hounds.

While the Ukobachs and Hell Hounds were on the last legs of their health, a second group of Ukobachs and Hell Hounds showed up from behind the first group, moments after the water died down. The Hell Hounds spat a bunch of fire out at Nayuki like they were flamethrowers, while the Ukobachs were tossing fireballs at her, too.

Naturally, due to forgetting everyone else…

"Isis, **MAGARUDYNE!** " Yukari called out, sending out her Persona to unleash an unbelievably large wind blast on the new enemies.

"Thanatos, **MEGIDOLA!** " Minato called out, summoning the Greek God of Death and dealing heavy Almighty damage to the demons… effortlessly stopping their attacks.

Nayuki decided it was time to wrap things up the way she knew how. "Saa, finale da," she said, as she opened her WizarSwordGun's Hand Author before running her Water Style Ring over it.

" ** _WATER, SLASH STRIKE! SUI SUI SUI! SUI SUI SUI!_** " The WizarSwordGun called out as water seemed to surround the blade, before she slashed, sending out shockwaves of water onto the weakened enemies.

This action had its desired effect of killing the demons, though not before a _third_ wave of them came into the picture, much larger than the previous two waves combined… and this wave was _not_ weak to water spells. In fact, it looked to be that the demons _absorbed_ the water and became stronger!

"Ugh… Nayuki-san!" Minato shouted, just mere moments before the demons used all that water and cast a group Malaqua on the heroes. "GAH!" he cried out in pain.

"GAH!" everyone else cried out in pain as well… yes, even Nayuki, which cancelled her transformation into Wizard.

"Ow… OK, was not expecting that…" Nayuki said, as she swapped Rings in preparation of transforming again. She didn't want to risk Fire, and Earth might have problems, too, so that left Wind.

"Hermes, **CLEAVE!** " Junpei called out, summoning his Persona to slash at one of the demons with the blades for its feet… which proved to be more advantageous than Water spells. "Guys! Try to determine if all physical attack types deal extra damage or not!" he shouted.

Nayuki nodded, deciding to try and fight untransformed for once. "Artemis, **MIGHTY SWING!** " she called out as she summoned her Persona, which struck at her targeted foe with great force.

Even though the demon was injured greatly, it used a Mediaraharn to heal the wave promptly, though it wasn't a complete healing.

" **Fools…** " Nyarlathotep's voice could be heard all around them. " **Did you** ** _really_** **think I'd follow the definition of Insanity to the letter? I planned for all forms of contingencies… this is no different!** "

"Tch," Akihiko spat out. "You're going down, no matter what!"

" **Not likely,** " Nyarlathotep countered.

At that point, Nayuki decided to transform after all, donning Hurricane Style. "Yukari-san, Minato-san, I think we need a Triple Finisher," she said. "Two Kick Strikes plus whatever equivalent Minato-san has should do the trick."

"Problem, Nayuki-san," Minato said, pointing at the wave of demons. "I counted… the first two waves had a total of 17 of each kind of demon, but this group has 25 of each kind of demon, with three demon kinds in this group, and none of these demons seem to be weak to Bash-type strikes."

Nayuki sighed. "Well, we need a way to end this now before it goes on too much longer," she replied. "The only other idea that comes to mind is a mass Area-of-Effect attack from all of us."

Minato looked the demons over again, before he realized something. "Why didn't I think of this _sooner_?!" he cried out. "Nayuki-san, these demons are Grave-type! Use Mahama on them!"

Nayuki blinked underneath her helmet, before calling out, "Artemis, **MAHAMA!** " as she summoned her Persona, unleashing the attack spell on the demons.

The effect was instantaneous, especially since Mahama was made to defeat Grave-type foes in one hit, killing them in one blow… though another demon showed up right after the third wave was destroyed.

Minato would've facepalmed if he could hit his face with his hand. "Just our bloody luck…" he said.

"Polydeuces, **ZIO!** " Akihiko called out, his Persona unleashing a lightning blast on the enemy…

…that was reflected right back at him.

Akihiko didn't take quite as much damage as he could have, his Persona being resistant to Electricity, but it still did some damage.

"Artemis, **GARU!** " Nayuki called out, trying her luck with a wind-based spell on it.

Unfortunately, even _that_ was reflected right back.

"Ow!" Nayuki cried out as she was hit. "Alright, I've done Fire, Water, and Wind, might as well do my last Element…" she muttered as she swapped Transformation Rings and ran her new ring over the Hand Author.

" ** _LAND, PLEASE! DODODO, DODODON! DON, DODODON!_** " The WizarDriver called out as Nayuki changed Styles once more, this time with her helmet visor taking a square shape, the green bits of her outfit becoming yellow, and the crystal portions changing from emerald to topaz.

This was the last of her Basic Elemental Styles, Land Style.

Minato activated his Lightsaber, before he rushed at the demon, which looked like a flying whale of some sort. "You're going _down_!" he called out, slashing at it and dealing massive damage to it.

" ** _BIND, PLEASE!_** " came from the WizarDriver as Nayuki ran a new Spell Ring over it, and chains of stone erupted from the floor around them to bind the demon in place.

"Alright, _now_ it's time for the Triple Finisher," Minato said, even as he backflipped over to his allies. Turning to face Yukari and Nayuki, he asked, "Are you ready, Yukari, Nayuki-san?"

"I'm set, Minato," Yukari said, holding up her Kick Strike Ring.

"Ready when you are," Nayuki added, revealing that her own Kick Strike Ring was now on her hand and ready.

In response, Minato brought one of the whistle-like objects on the side of his belt.

As the three turned toward the demon, Nayuki and Yukari ran their Rings over their Drivers, causing the two Drivers to call out in unison, " ** _CHOI NE! KICK STRIKE! SAIKO!_** " The two spun as their magic circles appeared underneath them, Earth Magic forming around Nayuki's right leg as a triceratops head formed around Yukari's right leg, the two leaping into the air.

At the same time, Kivat's mouth opened as Minato placed the whistle on the bat's lower fangs before the mouth closed, Kivat declaring, " ** _Wake Up!_** " before taking off from the belt and flying again, even as the area around them seemed to be enveloped in black mist, a Blood-Red moon appearing around them. The chains on Minato's right leg broke, revealing a pair of wings as Minato raised that leg above his body, rising into the air… before all three Riders came down foot first on the still struggling demon.

Almost immediately, the demon started convulsing, even as the three Kamen Riders were forced to go back to their starting positions… however, before the convulsing could do anything detrimental, the Grim Reaper shot with its other pistol and killed the demon.

After a few moments, nothing else appeared. "I think that's enough for tonight," Nayuki remarked. "We should probably get going."

At that moment, something else showed up, namely a large suitcase that was bursting at the seams.

"Huh?" Minato blinked in surprise, even as he deactivated his transformation. "What could be in that suitcase?"

Yukari cautiously approached it, before poking it with her WizarSwordGun to open it, revealing… "Woah!" she shouted.

A sentiment that was mirrored by the rest as they saw the absolutely _ridiculous_ amounts of money contained within the suitcase.

"Man… while I know we need the money, why is it in Yen instead of the typical demonic currency of Macca?" Minato asked, feeling a migraine coming.

"Uh, guys…?" Junpei asked. "How much is there?"

Minato looked at Yukari, before asking her, "How much do you count?"

"About… 2.5 _billion_ Yen?!" Yukari let out incredulously. "That… I have no words for how much this will cause inflation to spike."

Nayuki de-transformed, before placing a hand to her communications earpiece and asking, "Mitsuru-chan, did you hear that?"

 _"_ _Loud and clear, Nayuki-chan,"_ Mitsuru answered. _"I think you'd best hurry back down here as soon as possible… the Dark Hour is about to end."_

"On it," Minato replied. "Yukari, grab that suitcase - we'll figure out what to do with all that money tomorrow."

"Right, Minato," Yukari nodded in understanding. "We'll need to figure out how much goes into the dorm's upkeep… right?"

"Not to mention we'll need to divide up what we don't use for upkeep," Nayuki replied as the group began moving quickly for an exit. "We'll need to stash some for emergency purposes, and we'll also need to divide up what's left over between us…"

With a general nod of agreement, the group, minus the Grim Reaper, found the exit, before they activated it and went down to the ground floor.

If only they knew what would happen in the next couple weeks… and if only they knew of another Persona-using Kamen Rider that was going to be in the area.

* * *

 _Obtaining Heaven._

(A jungle expanse grows all of a sudden in front of a tower, even as an armored horseman is seen keeping the horse to a halt.)

 _Painting the world in your colors._

(The same horseman is seen in front of an army of monsters, some flying, others on the ground, even as the camera pans out.)

 _Is that the glory you seek?_

(The horseman is seen from the left side of his helmet, which looks more like a mask than anything else, a Kamen Rider mask at that.)

 _Can you bear that heavy responsibility?_

(The screen pans to the left, showing another armored figure, only this one is on a motorcycle… leading a separate group of monsters much like the other armored figure, plus a few mecha-based troops in mid-air, and another armored figure between the monsters and the biker. The scene shifts to that of a three way gathering of monster armies, each based on a fruit motif, as two more armored figures are seen observing the situation. Then the screen shows a young woman with blonde hair and heterochromia waking up from something on the ground.)

 _People can't even control their own lives…_

(The horseman looks to his left, seeing the woman walking forward to observe the clash that's bound to happen, with a strange fruit in her left hand.)

 _So no one can run from, nor defy…_

(The woman is seen lowering her fruit, before the screen shows four of the five armored figures and the woman in face shots.)

 _…_ _the raging waves called fate, sweeping them away._

(The woman suddenly loses a flower that was in the left side of her hair, reaching out with her right hand to try grabbing it, only for it to fall forward and land in the battlefield, causing the first two sides of the three way conflict to charge at each other.)

 _However…_

(The horseman's side starts charging at the motorcycle rider's side, making the army of monsters behind him follow.)

 _…_ _if fate…_

(The motorcycle rider's side advances, rider first, everyone else second.)

 _…_ _ordered you…_

(The observing side starts getting ready to take action, depending on who wins the first battle.)

 _…_ _to change the world…_

(The horseman's side starts firing projectile energy blasts at the other side, even as some of their own take casualties.)

 _…_ _to shape the future with your own hands…_

(The biker's side continues doing what it did to kill the horseman's forces, even as some of their own are killed in return.)

 _You wouldn't be able to resist it._

(The camera closes in on the two leaders, even as the ground around them explodes.)

 _But…_

(The woman gasps as she watches on at the battlefield.)

 _…_ _the world would be put in your care._

(The two riders charge further and are about to crash with each other when the scene ends.)

* * *

( **BGM: Just Live More [TV Version]** )

(A pair of zippers show up, unzipping the screen, and showing four of the five armored figures from the previous scene. Then the screen shows a bunch of vegetation moving downwards, even as a set of hammers clear up the story's logo.)

 _Got it Move, Wow!_

(The image of an orange is shown behind the logo, even as the orange fades away, revealing a blue sky with some clouds.)

 _Don't Say No, JUST LIVE MORE! Don't Say No, JUST LIVE MORE!_

(The four armored figures are shown in a room full of ancient armor from the Warring States Era of Japan, getting their weapons drawn and at the ready.)

 _Survival You got move_

(The main armored figure is shown in his civilian guise, running towards a chain-link fence, grabbing it as if it were a prison cell.)

 _Gendai wa sanagara sengoku (_ _ **When life's in a warring state**_ _)_

(The main armored figure is shown on the other side of the fence, holding a lock with an orange imprinted on the front instead of a dial, before the fence and his mirror image are shown disintegrating.)

 _Dare ga kachinukeru (_ _ **Who's got the strength to win**_ _)_

(A team of dancers wearing red and black outfits are shown dancing around in front of a building.)

 _Kagi wa hirake rarete shimatta (_ _ **Now that all the locks are open?**_ _)_

(The main armored figure and one of the dancers rush at each other, their reflections showing their armored forms, revealing them to be rivals.)

 _Don't Say No, JUST LIVE MORE!_ _Doko ni aru? (_ _ **Where will you find…**_ _)_

(Another armored figure in civilian guise picks up a lock with a different fruit motif.)

 _Don't Say No, JUST LIVE MORE!_ _Do tsukau? (_ _ **And how will you use…**_ _)_

(The same figure is shown with another armored figure in civilian guise, before the first of these two rushes towards the other, only to be blocked by a chain link fence. Finally, the screen shifts to the room with the armor, showing the different armored figures one by one.)

 _Kindan no kajitsu (_ _ **The Forbidden Fruit**_ _)_

(The two rivals are shown riding their respective rides, before one of them is shown in a mecha of some sort, flying upwards as the biker goes on through where the other one was at. Finally, the figures are shown slicing through the locks on their belts, revealing the insides of the fronts.)

 _`Ima' to iu kaze wa nani o tsutaeru tame (_ _ **The wind of the moment has its own message to share**_ _)_

(The main armored figure is seen holding onto his weapons and fighting a green monster, before being seen with his civilian guise with a dance crew, enjoying themselves.)

 _[Omae no moto ni fuku tsuyoku tsuyoku Blowin' up] (_ _ **[It's blowin' up stronger and stronger till it reaches you]**_ _)_

(The main armored figure and one of the females on the dance crew, revealed to be his love interest, are seen chatting, while their reflections show the main armored figure's rival and the female from the previous scene chatting, before the screen shifts to the main armored figure and his rival attacking enemies in their respective areas.)

 _Ashita ga yume ga mada mienakute mo (_ _ **Your dreams and future may seem so far away…**_ _)_

(One of the armored figures, wielding a gun, shoots down a chain link fence and charges forward. The screen shifts to the second dance crew, landing on their feet and fading, before the female from the previous scene shows up, standing up straight, before pointing out in front of her.)

 _[Soko genkai sei-ippai ikite iru to ierunara] (_ _ **[When you've got all you can out of life, that's when you can stop]**_ _)_

(Pieces of equipment are shown, before the main armored figure shows up in between a lot of statues, slashing at something in front of him. Meanwhile, the first dance crew continue showing off their moves, dancing like crazy.)

 _Utsumuku na yo [kao agero] (_ _ **But don't let life get you down [Keep your head held high]**_ _)_

(The rival armored figure is shown destroying monsters in the forest.)

 _doko made demo [Mageru koto naku] (_ _ **Wherever you may go [Never compromise yourself]**_ _)_

(More pieces of equipment are shown on the screen.)

 _Shinjita michi wo yuke JUST LIVE MORE! (_ _ **Follow the path you believe in, and JUST LIVE MORE!**_ _)_

(The four armored figures from before are shown standing back to back in the forest, before the screen shifts to the main armored figure in his civilian guise behind another chain link fence, screaming as a bunch of plant life shows up around the area where his head would be.)

 _Don't Say No, JUST LIVE MORE_

(The main armored figure is shown riding his horse to an unknown destination.)

* * *

 **Xamusel: ASTRAL FINISH!**

 **…** **why do I even have this desire to add BlazBlue quotes into this? Well… here's the review corner.**

 **…** **again? No reviews just yet? Well, not like I can expect you guys to suddenly review the whole story in one sitting, anyway.**

 **Still, before you guys ask, I'm gonna rewrite the series from the ground up… maybe with Takeshi's help, maybe without, who knows at this stage? I do know that I'll be relying more on the games and such that I have on hand for this.**

 **Now, the next story to be updated will be Foreign Saga, to make things even fairer to you guys. I just hope that you guys like it just like you like this.**

 **Now… here's Takeshi!**

* * *

 **Takeshi Yamato: OK, yes, as you might have figured out before this chapter, Minato is Foreign Saga's Kiva, who has retained his powers in transit back to the AWiI verse. And yes, this means he is now at least half-Fangire, or possibly even a full Fangire - will need to determine that in later entries of Foreign Saga.**

 **The fight with Nyarly's demons is a bit more involved than it was last time - one can only surmise that the regular Shadow battles will also be amped up, as well.**

 **That's about all I have to say, so see you on the next Foreign Saga update! :D**


	6. Chapter 5

**Xamusel: Alright… this chapter's going to be a longer one than usual for this story, I hope, with the usual being between 5-6k words at this time. The main thing about this chapter is that I started it while my internet was down at my house, with no access to my co-author available until later that day, when I could access the internet at my local library.**

 **Then again, while my internet at my house was down, I started watching Kamen Rider Drive on my computer… how could I have been ignorant of that particular series this whole time?! I can't believe that I missed how awesome the show is since day one! I have since attempted to rectify that by watching at least an average of an episode a day for each episode I have on my computer (I only obtained the first 25 episodes at the time), but the progress is slow going, especially since I can't just take the series with me everywhere I go.**

 **Still, there's more to my writing life than just watching Kamen Rider (and whatever else is actually needed) and playing the requisite games for this story universe. I have a fair few dozen story ideas running through my head, but I can't just get them out on paper any time soon. My reason for saying that is because most of my time is already devoured by a whole lot of stuff at once… especially real life obligations.**

 **…** **okay, that's a lie. I actually have more free time than, say… 117Jorn. His hours are extremely irregular last I heard anything on that.**

 **Now, let's see… this chapter will be where both of Minato's sisters are introduced, though you'll have to understand that one of them will be a main character in this story as well as the immediate sequel. Also, please note that neither of Minato's sisters are OCs, as they actually appear on the Megami Tensei wiki… especially the one that's said to be a resurrected Minato until proven otherwise late in their game. Now do you know who I'm referring to?**

 **As far as anything else interesting in this story that's being written, expect something to happen in regards to the May Full Moon chapter, because it'll be interesting… how interesting is going to be pretty subjective, much like how beauty is in the eye of the beholder, just to let you know.**

 **Now, with that out of the way… The Wheel Of Fate Is Turning. Rebel One, ACTION!**

* * *

 **A Wizard in Iwatodai Ultimate Rewrite Edition**  
 _Story written by Xamusel and Takeshi Yamato_

* * *

 _0900, April 19th, 2009_

* * *

It was a particularly windy day in Fuuto city, even as the civilian population was casually going about their business. The main thing that people did in this city was prepare for the Sunday commute for different activities, although there were two people who had little to no motivation to do what the other people in the city were up to.

"Boss… why did you have to die?" one of them, a blue-haired youth with blue eyes, asked. "Just when we had rescued Richard-san, too…"

The other, a dark verdette-haired youth with hazel eyes, said, "I didn't know him for very long, but from what I did know, he was very brave…" There was a pause, as he placed a hand on the blue-haired person's shoulder. "I wish that… I'd have had a chance to know him better, Naoko-sa—"

"Naoto."

"Huh?"

The blue-haired youth turned their gaze to the other youth's eyes and said, "Refer to me as Naoto Shirogane, please… regardless of my actual gender, I know that the police won't accept help from the fairer sex."

The verdette pondered that for a moment. "Are you sure about that, Naoko-san?" he asked. "I don't know _much_ about the world, but that seems a bit much, especially for a capable girl like yourself."

The blue-haired girl felt her eyes widen at the simple argument, before she felt her body shake and shiver. "I… well… oh, never mind," she finally said. "Still… do you remember what happened last night? Your first words to me were a question…"

The verdette raised a finger as if to answer, before he thought back in full to the night prior, when he was being rescued by Naoko and her boss…

 _The verdette opened his eyes as he saw a man approach him from in front, the man wearing a white dress suit over a black dress shirt and a white fedora, while the verdette was stuck in a crystal-like liquid factory of sorts. As the man reached out to the crystalline factory, it became apparent that there were guards on the way to the floor the device was on, all in the Gaia Building of Fuuto. As the two males started getting away, a girl with a briefcase started running towards the two of them, calling out, "Boss!"_

 _"_ _It's him," the man in the suit said, before he had the girl aid in getting the verdette out of there by supporting him. As the three of them rushed to get out of there—_

 _Three gunshots sounded off from behind, all from the guards behind the escaping group, each bullet hitting the one ID'd as the girl's 'boss' in the back, knocking his hat off his head as he fell to the ground._

 _The two youths stopped to look at the downed form of the man, before the girl had the boy hold onto the briefcase and ran to her boss, crying out, "Boss!" When she moved to help him get out of there, the man moved his bloodied left hand to his fedora and grabbed it, even as the girl cried out "Boss!" again._

 _Moving the hat in his left hand to put it on top of the girl's head, he said as his final words, "Become a person worthy of wearing this hat, Naoko…" With that, his arm fell lifelessly to the ground, having finished putting the hat on her head and entrusting his ideals to her._

 _Naoko looked at her employer and cried out for the last time, "Boss!"_

 _At that moment, a bursting noise was heard from behind the corpse, as a hole in the floor exploded upwards, causing the body to fall to the ground and Naoko to be sent flying a bit backwards. As she flew backwards, a monster flew up from the hole, one resembling a woman of some sort. The monster started forming an energy ball in its right hand and tossed it at where the two youths were located, even as Naoko grabbed the boy by one hand and dragged him away to what should've been safety, were it not for an attack helicopter on the other side of the glass windows._

 _Running from the bullets and the attack chopper, the two of them made it to a staircase, hiding on the stairs themselves. The boy opened the briefcase and showed the contents, a pair of belt buckles and six USB Drive-like devices, to Naoko, who looked at him in confusion. "Do you have the courage to ride with the devil?" he asked her._

 _"_ _Eh?" Naoko asked, before she grabbed one of the devices and looked at it, even as the boy held another one of the devices out in his hand._

 _The monster formed four more energy balls in the air, throwing them as the two youths as they put the belt buckles on and, with a wordless scream from Naoko, activated the devices as they entered the belt buckles, forming an energy barrier around the two of them that protected them from the energy balls… and transforming them into a masked warrior with two different color schemes._

"I do, yes," the boy said. "I asked, 'Do you have the courage to ride with the devil?'"

Naoko was hesitant in answering the question with words this time, before she took the fedora that used to belong to her boss off her head. "Before, I would've just said 'no' and walked away," she admitted finally. "Now, though… I don't think I have the luxury to do so."

"I guess if you don't have the courage now, you'll have to fake it until it develops," he remarked. "Well, I'll do my best not to let you down… aibou." He smirked as he finished.

Naoko looked at the boy's smirk and did everything she could to avoid facepalming. "I thought the word you'd use would be 'paatonaa' or something, to use the katakana of 'partner'," she muttered.

He chuckled. "I thought 'aibou' worked better," he remarked. The smirk then turned into a regular smile. "Also, if it truly bothers you that much, I can call you 'Naoto' in public, Naoko-san… as long as you let me call you by your true name in private."

Naoko took a minute to ponder that, before she shook her head. "Nah," she said. "If I want to prove myself worthy of being a detective like Grandpa, I need to do so by my natural self. I won't pretend to be a boy any further, especially since the Fuuto school district hasn't quite gotten my school registration yet."

"Your grandpa?" the boy asked.

"Nagato Shirogane," Naoko Arisato answered. "He's my mother's father, as well as Raidou Kuzunoha XIV, Richard-san."

* * *

( **BGM: Just Live More [TV Version]** )

(A pair of zippers show up, unzipping the screen, and showing four armored figures. Then the screen shows a bunch of vegetation moving downwards, even as a set of hammers clear up the story's logo.)

 _Got it Move, Wow!_

(The image of an orange is shown behind the logo, even as the orange fades away, revealing a blue sky with some clouds.)

 _Don't Say No, JUST LIVE MORE! Don't Say No, JUST LIVE MORE!_

(The four armored figures are shown in a room full of ancient armor from the Warring States Era of Japan, getting their weapons drawn and at the ready.)

 _Survival You got move_

(The main armored figure is shown in his civilian guise, running towards a chain-link fence, grabbing it as if it were a prison cell.)

 _Gendai wa sanagara sengoku (_ _ **When life's in a warring state**_ _)_

(The main armored figure is shown on the other side of the fence, holding a lock with an orange imprinted on the front instead of a dial, before the fence and his mirror image are shown disintegrating.)

 _Dare ga kachinukeru (_ _ **Who's got the strength to win**_ _)_

(A team of dancers wearing red and black outfits are shown dancing around in front of a building.)

 _Kagi wa hirake rarete shimatta (_ _ **Now that all the locks are open?**_ _)_

(The main armored figure and one of the dancers rush at each other, their reflections showing their armored forms, revealing them to be rivals.)

 _Don't Say No, JUST LIVE MORE!_ _Doko ni aru? (_ _ **Where will you find…**_ _)_

(Another armored figure in civilian guise picks up a lock with a different fruit motif.)

 _Don't Say No, JUST LIVE MORE!_ _Do tsukau? (_ _ **And how will you use…**_ _)_

(The same figure is shown with another armored figure in civilian guise, before the first of these two rushes towards the other, only to be blocked by a chain link fence. Finally, the screen shifts to the room with the armor, showing the different armored figures one by one.)

 _Kindan no kajitsu (_ _ **The Forbidden Fruit**_ _)_

(The two rivals are shown riding their respective rides, before one of them is shown in a mecha of some sort, flying upwards as the biker goes on through where the other one was at. Finally, the figures are shown slicing through the locks on their belts, revealing the insides of the fronts.)

 _`Ima' to iu kaze wa nani o tsutaeru tame (_ _ **The wind of the moment has its own message to share**_ _)_

(The main armored figure is seen holding onto his weapons and fighting a green monster, before being seen with his civilian guise with a dance crew, enjoying themselves.)

 _[Omae no moto ni fuku tsuyoku tsuyoku Blowin' up] (_ _ **[It's blowin' up stronger and stronger till it reaches you]**_ _)_

(The main armored figure and one of the females on the dance crew, revealed to be his love interest, are seen chatting, while their reflections show the main armored figure's rival and the female from the previous scene chatting, before the screen shifts to the main armored figure and his rival attacking enemies in their respective areas.)

 _Ashita ga yume ga mada mienakute mo (_ _ **Your dreams and future may seem so far away…**_ _)_

(One of the armored figures, wielding a gun, shoots down a chain link fence and charges forward. The screen shifts to the second dance crew, landing on their feet and fading, before the female from the previous scene shows up, standing up straight, before pointing out in front of her.)

 _[Soko genkai sei-ippai ikite iru to ierunara] (_ _ **[When you've got all you can out of life, that's when you can stop]**_ _)_

(Pieces of equipment are shown, before the main armored figure shows up in between a lot of statues, slashing at something in front of him. Meanwhile, the first dance crew continue showing off their moves, dancing like crazy.)

 _Utsumuku na yo [kao agero] (_ _ **But don't let life get you down [Keep your head held high]**_ _)_

(The rival armored figure is shown destroying monsters in the forest.)

 _doko made demo [Mageru koto naku] (_ _ **Wherever you may go [Never compromise yourself]**_ _)_

(More pieces of equipment are shown on the screen.)

 _Shinjita michi wo yuke JUST LIVE MORE! (_ _ **Follow the path you believe in, and JUST LIVE MORE!**_ _)_

(The four armored figures from before are shown standing back to back in the forest, before the screen shifts to the main armored figure in his civilian guise behind another chain link fence, screaming as a bunch of plant life shows up around the area where his head would be.)

 _Don't Say No, JUST LIVE MORE_

(The main armored figure is shown riding his horse to an unknown destination.)

* * *

 **Chapter 005:** Strange Happenings Migrate From Zawame

* * *

 _1030, April 20th, 2009_

* * *

"Man… why do we have to deal with this?" Junpei asked in annoyed irritation, looking at the blackboard with an evil glare. "I mean, we deal with so much, already… why this on top of that?"

"Well, we do still need an education, Junpei-san," Nayuki remarked in a whisper. "I mean, we're going to need day jobs eventually in order to support ourselves - fighting monsters doesn't pay the rent."

"What's this about the rent being paid?" Minato asked, whispering as well. "Remember those battles last night? We ended up getting a good deal of Yen out of them. Therefore, we're set for the rent for the time being."

"Just saying that even with that, monsters don't drop money all the time - we'll need day jobs eventually, and we need educations to get higher-paying ones."

"You mean they won't drop that much money all the time, right?" Yukari asked, also whispering. "I'm not sure of all the specifics, but we always got some decent cash when fighting enemies while we were away… I think the same applies over here."

"Well, maybe," Nayuki admitted. "Still, day jobs would give us some decent supplementary income, just in case the monster fighting hits a slow point."

"What are you four whispering about?!" Ms. Toriumi demanded from in front of the blackboard.

"Just ways to earn money, Sensei," Nayuki remarked. "We've got some decent funds for tuition and related items for the moment, but who knows how long that will last, or if we'll need anything for personal reasons."

Blinking, the teacher asked, "Is that… so? Well, I see, then. Carry on with your discussions… _after_ one of you answers a question correctly."

"Well, Minato, I believe that's your cue," Yukari remarked.

"In the later part of the previous century, who was the author to start writing a seven-part book series that ended sometime after the death of the main villain by means of something meant for disarming?" Ms. Toriumi asked, after Minato stood up to hear her out and then answer the question.

"J.K. Rowling," Minato replied.

"Good, you've read up on foreign literature, Arisato-san," Ms. Toriumi said, nodding in approval. "Indeed, the Harry Potter series of books has just that death, which I find stupid… but, anyway, that's neither here or now."

"Nice work, Minato-san," Nayuki remarked as Minato sat back down.

"Thanks, Nayuki-san," he replied.

* * *

 _1145, April 22, 2009_

* * *

The next couple days went by rather simply, though the 21st had a bit of excitement with the morning assembly, where it was revealed Mitsuru had been elected president of the Student Council. She'd done a rather good acceptance speech, in Nayuki's opinion.

Anyway, lunchtime had rolled around again, and Nayuki was sharing lunch with Mitsuru on the rooftop, in what they were starting to think of as lunch dates.

"So… how do you like being President of the Student Council, Mitsuru-chan?" Nayuki asked. "I mean, it's only been a day…"

"Well, it's alright, if a bit busy," Mitsuru remarked. "Time will tell just how well I do at it, but it definitely seems like we might need some extra hands…"

"I might be able to help out, Mitsuru-chan," Nayuki admitted. "It shouldn't be that hard to handle the Student Council, right?" Upon receiving a blank stare, she asked, "…right, Mitsuru-chan?"

"Well, it can be difficult at times, Nayuki-chan," Mitsuru replied. "Still, I do thank you for the offer, and I was planning on asking, anyway."

"O-oh, really, Mitsuru-chan?" Nayuki asked in surprise. "I mean, this is rather sudden, don't you think?"

"Maybe, maybe not," Mitsuru replied. "Still, having seen you in action around the school and elsewhere, I definitely think you'd be able to help - you'll primarily be my aide, helping me manage things from day to day."

"Oh, Mitsuru-chan, you flatter me," Nayuki said, blushing slightly. "I'll do my best to fit the role you need of me."

"Thank you very much, Nayuki-chan," Mitsuru replied. "I'll introduce you to the rest of the Council after classes are over." She then looked down to the lunches, which had been made by Nayuki. "So… what did you make us for lunch today?"

"Oh, some Fried Ricer," Nayuki said with a smile and a giggle after that.

"I'm sorry, what's this 'Fried Ricer', Nayuki-chan?" Mitsuru asked in confusion.

"I'm joking, Mitsuru-chan," Nayuki said with a wave of her hand. "It's simply fried rice."

Mitsuru sighed. "Obviously, not a joke I'm familiar with," she remarked. "Well, let's eat."

With a nod, Nayuki opened her fried rice lunch and started to eat in sync with Mitsuru, which, if anyone else were there to comment, would be automatically seen as freaky.

* * *

 _2359, April 23rd, 2009_

* * *

"Well…" a young woman of 15 with brown hair and red eyes said with a sigh, upon getting to the gates of the school at this abysmal time of night. "Talk about bad timing… as well as getting lost, all thanks to my tour guide. Why, oh why, did I have to go with Hibiki Travel Guiding Agency when the owner and main field operator is cursed to be lost for eternity?!"

At that moment, she heard footsteps appear from behind her, prompting her to turn around and see a group of older students headed for the school gates. Panicking visibly, she shot out of the way of the school gates, getting ready to transform into her special state to fight bad guys (on the off chance they were bad guys). While they were headed for the school, the young woman was pondering transforming right then and there, putting a hand to a belt buckle-like device hanging from her jacket…

…when the world started to turn green all around her.

She then watched, semi-incredulously, as the school suddenly began to twist, distort, and grow, reaching up impossibly high.

"What… the… hell?" she asked out loud, even louder than normal, causing the group to look at her.

"Wait, someone else who's active in the Dark Hour?" one of them, a second-year girl with the ice-blue hair asked. "Who is—"

"Hamuko-imouto?!" asked a second-year boy with deep blue hair, who the 15-year-old recognized instantly.

"Onii-chan?" the now-identified Hamuko Arisato looked at her brother Minato Arisato with hope in her eyes. Upon seeing him nod in response, she ran over to him, tears flowing from her eyes. "ONII-CHAN! I missed you so much!" she cried out, embracing him by that point. "The nightmares… they're still there!"

Minato hugged his little sister gently, before saying, "I'm sorry… I can't share the bed like before."

"Minato?!" Yukari yelled from close by, forcing the two siblings to look at her. "What did you mean by 'share the bed'?!"

Before Minato could explain what he meant, Hamuko said, "You're misunderstanding, ma'am. He slept in his jams while helping me keep calm from nightmares, kinda like a dream catcher that sleeps in the same bed."

Minato nodded at that, before he registered what his little sister said first. "Er, Hamuko-imouto…?"

"Yes, onii-chan?"

"The person you called 'ma'am' is Yukari," Minato explained.

Hamuko blinked a few times in quick succession, before she looked at Yukari. "Eh?!" she let go of Minato and pointed at Yukari. "You mean _that's_ Yukari-san?!"

"Yeah, it's me," Yukari said. "It's good to see you again, Hamuko-chan… and I told you not to be quite so formal around me."

"Ah, yeah," Hamuko chuckled sheepishly as she scratched the back of her neck. "Sorry… I just haven't seen you in so long, I had forgotten that part."

"It's fine," Yukari replied. "Though… soon, you'll be able to call me Yukari-nee."

"Okay… wait, what?" Hamuko asked, looking between Minato and Yukari. "You mean… you two… actually _did_ it?!"

"Y… yeah," Yukari said with a bit of a blush. "The first day Minato and I met again, we confessed our feelings, and… _did_ it… and, well…" She then placed a hand gently on top of her belly, and even though it hadn't begun showing yet, the unspoken message was still rather clear.

Junpei, in spite of being kept out of the loop, finally put two and two together. "Wait… you two are expecting children from what happened?!" he exclaimed. "I mean, seriously, how _come_?!"

Minato and Yukari looked distraught from what was inadvertently revealed to Junpei, while the others in the loop, excluding Hamuko, facepalmed with the force of an atomic bomb.

"Well, the cat's kinda out of the bag now," Nayuki remarked. "Junpei-san, if you weren't listening to what they were telling Hamuko-san, their child was most likely conceived during Minato-san's first full night here in Iwatodai."

Before Junpei could question what he heard, Minato shot him a glare that effectively said 'shut up and listen'. "Yukari and I need you to keep quiet about this for until after the two of us get married," Minato said. "Could you please do that for us?"

Junpei nodded. "A… alright," he said. "Still… definitely not something you hear about every day."

"True," Nayuki replied.

"Anyway, what are you doing here, Hamuko-imouto?" Minato asked. "I thought you were over in Zawame City?"

"Well…" Hamuko looked at Minato, before a downtrodden expression hit her. "It's Naoko… she went missing five days ago, looking for you."

"Wait… Naoko-chan is missing?" Yukari asked. "From what Minato told me, she was living with you in Zawame, right? What happened?"

Hamuko sighed, a hint of depression showing from her sigh. "It started six days ago, when she was checking her email on her desktop computer. She had a few messages that she needed to read, she told me, before she could eat dinner. When she never showed up for dinner, I went up to check on her, though she didn't let me enter the room. All I know was what she told me through the door… that she needed to find onii-chan, since I know she only refers to him as 'Mina-nii'. She wouldn't explain, but she said that she was going to transfer schools to be with him, if needed."

"Hmm… I haven't heard of any more Arisatos joining the school… was there anyone else she knew, who might be able to help locate her?" Mitsuru asked.

"The only one I could think of asking was a man named Sokichi Narumi, but…" Hamuko wept at that. "I can't reach him, because he was reported dead four days ago."

"Oh…" Mitsuru replied. "That's not good… did he have some connection to Naoko-san, by any chance? I could have my father look into the situation, see if there was any kind of connection…"

Hamuko looked at Mitsuru and said, "She considered him her boss, if only because he was training her as his protege… I think he was a private investigator of some sort."

"Right… I'll have my father look into it," Mitsuru said. "On another matter, is this your first time here? In the Dark Hour, I mean."

Hamuko stopped weeping long enough to think over the question. "So that's what it's called?" she asked. "Well… I haven't experienced it in so long, not since I left Iwatodai the last time, after okaa-san and otou-san died in the incident ten years back…"

Minato looked at his little sister with a look of incredulity on his face. "Wait… you mean you saw it then as well?!" he exclaimed in shock. "If that's the case, then why were you in the transmogrified state of sleeping in a coffin ever since that day?"

"Well… I prayed to whoever would listen to let me not see it until after I returned to Iwatodai of my own volition," Hamuko answered. "Well, I guess I returned to the mess I thought I'd left behind."

"So, you only recently started seeing the Dark Hour again?" Mitsuru asked, walking up to her. "I see… perhaps we should have someone take her back to the Dorm, and we can explain things to her in the morning - I'd rather wait to confirm whether she has the Potential or not before taking her into Tartarus."

Before someone could volunteer, however, a loud laughing was heard from down the road away from the school. "Well, well," the voice that owned the laugh said. "It looks like there's more brats here with Gates than I thought! I'm gonna make more Phantoms out of you!"

"Crap!" Nayuki swore, as she and Yukari stepped forward, getting between the group and the approaching Phantom, which appeared to be based off of a cat-woman of some kind. "Everyone, stay back! Yukari-san and I will handle this!"

"Really?" the Phantom replied. "And what can you two do?"

"Plenty," Yukari remarked, as the two donned their Rings.

" ** _DRIVER ON, PLEASE!_** " announced the WizarDriver and SageDriver as the two scanned their Driver On Rings, and then switched them to Henshin Input. " ** _SHABADOOBIE TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE TOUCH TO HENSHIN!_** "

"Henshin!" the two called in unison as they scanned their Flame Style and Triceratops Style Rings, respectively.

" ** _FLAME, PLEASE! HII! HII! HII, HII, HII!_** " announced the WizarDriver as Nayuki transformed to Wizard Flame Style.

" ** _TRICERATOPS, PLEASE!_** " the SageDriver announced as Yukari donned her Triceratops Style garb.

"N-no way!" the Phantom called out as it visibly recoiled. "T-t-t-t-t-two Magicians?!"

"Saa," Wizard remarked, as she achieved her standard pre-battle pose, "showtime da."

"Uh… Ghouls! Tear them to shreds!" the Phantom cried out, before a horde of Ghouls arrived, intent on tearing the enemies to shreds.

As Nayuki and Yukari drew their WizarSwordGuns and began fighting the Ghouls, Hamuko felt a desire to help, and knew how she could - this seemed similar in a way to fighting those Inves creatures back in Zawame.

She took the belt-buckle device hanging from her jacket and attached it to her waist, causing an actual belt to wrap around her. Next, she took out what looked like an old-fashioned lock, only instead of the dial, an image of a strawberry took over most of the lock. She pressed a button, causing the lock to open.

" **ICHIGO!** " announced the lock, as a zipper-like portal opened above her, allowing a metallic strawberry to descend through it. She then placed the lock in a bay in the middle of her belt device and closed the lock, causing the buckle to announce, " **LOCK ON!** "

Music began blaring from her belt, sounding like horns that might come from the Sengoku Period, drawing everyone's attention to her.

"Henshin!" Hamuko announced, hitting a sword-shaped lever on the device as it 'sliced' into the lock, flipping the strawberry part down. Inside were two images - one on the main lock looking like a sliced-open strawberry, and one on the inside of the metal strawberry, containing what looked like a trio of strawberry-themed kunai.

" **SOIYA!** " the buckle called out as the strawberry descended, the bottom tip opening to cover her right shoulder as the rest of it covered her head. The buckle then continued, " **ICHIGO ARMS!** " as she was instantly clad in a pink battle suit, even lighter pink than Yukari's, and with slight gold trimming on the arm guards and legguards. Inside the strawberry, a pink helmet appeared on her head as an extra part textured like a strawberry slipped onto the back of the helmet, her visor looking like the inside of a strawberry slice. As the strawberry unfolded, forming a chestpiece, a larger guard on her left shoulder, and some back armor, the buckle finished, " **SHUSHUTTO SPARK!** "

"Huh?" Minato asked, having never seen anything quite like that transformation before.

"Woah…" Junpei breathed. "Another Kamen Rider…"

" ** _Bite!_** " was then heard, followed by the high-pitched whistling noise as Minato transformed into Kiva.

Having somehow missed hearing Junpei's comment, and despite being in some shock of her brother having powers, Hamuko walked over to her fellow Riders, before they proceeded to defeat the Phantom and her goons. With a practised ease, she sped forward, drawing a weapon that looked like a longsword, but the crossguard was angled such that it looked like someone had stuck a blade on top of a gun… the Musou Saber.

Tearing through the Ghouls turned out to be relatively easy, as they approached the Phantom itself. "Well, let's change things up a bit," Nayuki remarked, switching out her Flame Ring for a Ring with a green triangular crystal in its core, again folding transparent bits down to make it look like a face. "Time to blow you away," she said to the Phantom, as she flipped the Hand Author twice, switching it into Henshin Input again, and running the new ring over it.

" ** _HURRICANE, PLEASE! FUU-FUU! FUU-FUU-FUU-FUU!_** " the WizarDriver called out as she shifted into Hurricane Style. She then slashed with her WizarSword Gun, sending a wind blast at the Phantom.

The Phantom simply put a hand up, blocking the wind slash with an invisible barrier, before saying, "You think that can stop me?! Think again, nyaa! I, Bastet, will be your end!"

"Well, if that doesn't work, let's try this," Nayuki replied as she switched into Land Style, before she then switched her Driver to Spell Input, running her Bind Ring over it.

" ** _BIND, PLEASE!_** " the WizarDriver announced as what looked like chains of rock erupted from the ground to hold the Phantom in place.

"Wh-what?!" Bastet got out, only for Hamuko, Nayuki, and Yukari to prepare to finish off the Phantom with their strongest attacks yet.

"Saa, finale da," Nayuki remarked as the four Riders spread out, so they were equidistant from each other as they surrounded Bastet.

" ** _CHOI NE! KICK STRIKE! SAIKO!_** " the WizarDriver and SageDriver called out as Nayuki and Yukari scanned their Kick Strike Rings over their Drivers as Magic Circles appeared underneath them, and they spun around once to allow the magic to more evenly distribute around their right legs, and they began moving forward, somersaulting as they approached the Phantom, a Triceratops head appearing around Yukari's leg, while Earth Magic surrounded Nayuki's.

" ** _Wake Up!_** " announced Kivat as he took off from Minato's belt, the chains shattering from around his right leg as the wings formed, and he rose into the sky, before coming down for his Darkness Moon Break finisher.

At the same time, Hamuko leapt into the air, and flipped the lever on her Driver twice. " **SOIYA! ICHIGO AU LAIT!** " the Driver called out, as she extended her right leg for a kick, what looked like a strawberry appearing in front of her foot as she descended… impacting the Phantom at the same time as Nayuki and Yukari's Kick Strikes, as well as Minato's Darkness Moon Break, landed.

"NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Bastet cried out in horror, just as the kicks impacted on her, before…

…she shattered like a statue made out of sodium.

After the Phantom was destroyed, they stood there for a moment, before Yukari, Minato, and Nayuki undid their transformations, and Hamuko popped open the strawberry lock and pulled it off, then closing it all the way as her Driver went " **LOCK OFF!** " and canceled her own transformation.

"Interesting…" Yukari remarked. "Didn't realize you were a Kamen Rider, too, Hamuko-chan."

"Huh? Kamen Rider? What are you talking about?" Hamuko asked, confusion apparent on her face. "I'm an Armored Rider, Armored Rider Dia."

"I was confused when I first heard the term, myself," Nayuki replied. "But it does fit - Kamen Riders are warriors who are given special powers, which they use to defend the innocent, and fight against not just monsters, but those who often control them for whatever nefarious purpose they work towards. I only first heard a description of the term from a different Rider, Fourze, but it fits - so I started calling myself Kamen Rider Wizard, as opposed to simply being called Wizard before then."

It was at that moment when Hamuko finally understood what was meant. "Oooooooooh!" she said, pounding a fist to her open palm. "So, in other words, I'm not an 'Armored Rider', but Kamen Rider Dia!"

"Pretty much," Nayuki replied. "I am curious as to how your particular abilities work, but we can save that for a Note Swap Session either after we get back to the Dorm or tomorrow." She looked over at Mitsuru. "Mitsuru-chan, we still good for a run through Tartarus now?"

"Might as well, Nayuki-chan," Mitsuru answered with a nod. Turning to face Hamuko, she said, "Be ready for a lot of exercise, Arisato, or else you'll be left behind."

"Well, I tended to get a lot of exercise in Zawame, even before I got my Sengoku Driver and Lockseed here," she remarked. "I should be good, even if I haven't faced monsters other than Inves before tonight."

* * *

 _Later that hour_

* * *

"Me and my big, fat mouth," Hamuko said, showing the signs of being extremely tired from her first excursion into Tartarus, even after what she had said before.

"It's not so bad," Nayuki remarked. "The Dark Hour does tend to be rather draining - you just need time to adapt, that's all." Nayuki herself was feeling somewhat tired, but nowhere near as bad as their first run through Tartarus.

"Yeah, I know that, Nayuki-senpai," Hamuko replied. "However, I didn't have a chance to pull my weight in as part of the group. If I were pulling my weight in as part of the group, I'd probably be even worse off, right?"

"Likely, but again, you're just starting out," Nayuki informed. "Give it a little time, and you should be able to catch up to us - though we're still trying to catch up to Minato-san and Yukari-san, given what they've been through."

Hamuko nodded in a tired and sleepy fashion, before she woke up all of a sudden, looking at her brother and Yukari as they were holding hands. "What have those two been through that make them at the peak compared to everyone else?" she asked.

"Well, apparently their minds and souls spent at least a year in another universe, while their bodies were in a coma in the hospital for a week," Nayuki informed. "You'll learn more during the Note Swap Session, just know that the truth is often a lot stranger than fiction."

"I bet… that's definitely the case with me," Hamuko said, looking forward at the time. "So… who gets what room in your dorm?"

"Girls' rooms are on the third floor, while Boys' rooms are on the second," Mitsuru replied. "Though, I should mention that your brother and Takeba are sharing Takeba's room together."

"Right," Hamuko said, before she frowned. "I hope the rooms are soundproofed."

Minato coughed into his hand momentarily, getting his sister's attention. "Er, I was thinking of waiting for until our first time together had come full-circle, especially since I'm not sure about Yukari's fertility cycle," he said.

She pondered that for a moment, but nodded. "Alright, that makes a bit of sense," she remarked. "I still hope they're soundproofed, though, since I doubt you two are going to be the _only_ couple at the dorm, even if that's currently the case."

Minato nodded when he heard that. "Very well, imouto-chan," he said. "Now… who wants to eat vegetable stir fry made by yours truly?"

Everyone but Yukari and Hamuko looked at him incredulously. "You can _cook_?" the others asked him.

"Yes…" he replied. "Yes I can."

"I've got some decent cooking skills of my own," Nayuki admitted. "Though I'll admit, I don't use them as much as I should…"

"Yeah, partly because of your addiction to plain sugar donuts!" Yukari commented. "Though I'll have to admit, ever since I first unlocked my Magic back in the other universe I developed my own addiction… Strawberry Ice Cream."

Everyone who didn't know that tidbit looked at Yukari and asked flatly, "What?"

* * *

 _1930, April 24th, 2009_

* * *

Getting Hamuko situated in school wasn't too hard, considering Mitsuru's help - the younger Arisato was situated in Class 1-D, and was getting along well with her fellow classmates. The Note Swap Session had gone well, too - though Nayuki was concerned about those 'Inves' creatures Hamuko had talked about in Zawame (the fact they'd been used as a game among Street Dancing Teams was concerning, though Hamuko had mentioned that she doubted she'd be the only one to get a Sengoku Driver, meaning more 'Armored Riders' would show up soon), and Hamuko was still rather shocked that Minato and Yukari had become parents in that other universe, too… to twins, no less!

Regardless, now Minato and Yukari were working on one of their most important tasks - wedding plans.

"OK," Minato said as they looked through the internet. "We need to find a chapel or shrine that's free on May 15th, and a hotel that's willing to lend us a meeting room or dining room on the same day for the reception… this might be a little tricky…" he then turned to Yukari. "Though, we could simplify things a bit by simply having the reception here at the Dorm - we'd need to keep the size of the wedding rather small in that case, given that I doubt the Dorm can hold too many people at once."

Yukari turned to face her future husband and said, "Honestly, while that's a good idea, it would probably be for the best that we don't crowd the Dorm at any point… not fun to see the place fall down around us. Besides, we know that the Tatsumi Port Island Hotel is large enough for the group of guests we might expect, and they have the finances to keep the place from falling down."

"Alright," Minato replied. "Just need to make sure they have an opening on the 15th, and that part will be dealt with."

At that moment, Nayuki walked in, asking, "Anyone see my donuts?" Upon seeing Minato and Yukari at the table, she blinked, before asking, "What's up?"

"Planning out the wedding, Nayuki-san," Yukari replied. "We've already set a date - May 15th - now we just need to book a chapel or shrine for the actual ceremony, and a meeting room or two at the Tatsumi Port Island Hotel for the reception."

"Oh… right, you two are definitely serious about this wedding," Nayuki said with a sigh. "Well, you'll need food, that's for sure."

"Yeah," Yukari remarked. "We'll make sure to have plenty of Plain Sugar Donuts available for you, Nayuki-san. I'm personally planning on having Strawberry Ice Cream available in large quantities as well."

"Right - no wonder I've had to look for my Plain Sugar Donuts more, given the lack of space for them to be in with all the Ice Cream around," Nayuki said.

"Yeah," Yukari replied. "We'll definitely need to see about other foods, too… wonder if Mitsuru-senpai knows any good caterers…"

"Takeba, you called?" Mitsuru asked from across the dining room table, having sat down for just a moment before the question was popped.

"Oh, Senpai!" Yukari said, surprised at Mitsuru's presence. "Do you know any really good caterers? We're likely going to need a lot of food for the wedding reception…"

"Actually, yes, I do know of some good caterers," Mitsuru answered, nodding. "My uncle on my mother's side is one of the best there is."

"Good to hear, Mitsuru-san," Minato remarked. "You think he'd be able to cater for a Wedding Reception in the Tatsumi Port Island Hotel on May 15th?"

"He'll be in the area, yes," Mitsuru said. "However, I'll need to ask him if he'll be free at the time, for the benefit of this wedding."

"Sounds good," Yukari replied. "Okay, we have a venue for the reception and a potential caterer… now we need to book a chapel or shrine…"

"Did someone mention booking a chapel or shrine?" Junpei asked, startling the people sitting down. "I happen to know someone who's in the business of making marriages happen, and he's in charge of a church nearby, in this neck of Japan."

"Right…" Nayuki remarked. "Your uncle, right?"

"Yeah - my mom's brother, to be precise," Junpei said, scratching the back of his head in partial embarrassment. "Considering that he was the one who taught me what he did about the differences between the different religions in the world…"

"Wait… what differences?" Minato asked.

"He said, and I quote, 'There are only two types of religions in this world: The kind where you have to perform good works to get into Heaven, and the kind where you have faith and accept the gift of forgiveness to get into Heaven…' well, something like that, anyway. Christianity is the only one to not require you to perform good works to get to the right afterlife."

"I see," Mitsuru replied. "Well, it seems like things are coming together nicely - what else do you need to figure out, Senpai, Takeba?"

"Ring sizes, primarily," Minato said. "We still don't know all the details in regards to this part… and we need to find a shop for wedding rings that can help us out."

"Well, I read in the newspapers that an antiques shop opened in Paulownia Mall yesterday, but it offers Jewelry services on the side," Junpei said. "Apparently the owner's an old hand at making rings and the like, and recently relocated from another town."

"Wait… what's the name of the owner, Junpei-san?" Nayuki asked, looking at him expectantly.

"According to the article, it's a guy named Shigeru Wajima," Junpei replied.

Mitsuru's ears perked up at this. "Nayuki-chan, didn't you mention a Wajima earlier?" she asked. "The man who crafted most of your Wizard Rings, right?"

Nayuki perked up at hearing those questions, before her face met the table. Upon picking her head up, she said, "It's him, alright. Only one Shigeru Wajima is able to pull off this sort of jewelry-based stunt… he sees me as a member of his family."

"Well, might be good to see him, then," Yukari replied. "I'd imagine he'd be good at helping with the ring sizing for our wedding rings, and we might get his help for more Wizard Rings, too."

"Yes, that's a good point," Nayuki said, before sighing. "How am I supposed to explain the situation to him?"

"What situation?" Akihiko asked, as he walked in.

"The man who helped craft Kinomoto's Wizard Rings is in town," Mitsuru replied. "I'm assuming the 'situation' she's thinking of explaining to him is the current situation with the Dark Hour, Shadows, Tartarus, and the local Phantoms."

"That's part of it, Senpai," Nayuki said. "However, I'm more concerned with this Nyarlathotep guy, so that's what's getting me worried about talking to Wajima. He might think of Nyarlathotep as a regular Phantom, not whatever he really is, and supply me with a Ring to use against that entity."

"Well, we'll just need to see what happens," Yukari remarked. "And more Rings wouldn't be a bad thing… I'd be up for going to see him now, if that would be alright."

"I don't see a problem with that, except that it's getting late," Mitsuru said. "We could probably do it after school tomorrow, though, to make sure that the issue of time isn't one."

"Sounds alright with me," Nayuki replied. "We'll head there as soon as school lets out tomorrow."

* * *

 _1600, April 25, 2009_

* * *

As it turned out, there wasn't anything to be done after school the next day, so they made their way to the mall and found the shop in question.

"I remember growing up in his previous shop after the first Black Sabbath Ritual," Nayuki remarked, as she, Mitsuru, Yukari, and Minato stood in front of the shop, the sign Antique Shop Omokagedo standing proudly over the door. "Definitely a bit smaller than his old place, but given that he's in a mall now, I guess that's to be expected."

"Ah, Nayuki-chan," a man's voice called out from inside the shop, before Wajima opened the door. "How may I help you? Oh? You brought friends, right?"

"Yeah… I did," Nayuki replied. "They're also fellow students over at Gekkoukan High. I'd like you to meet Mitsuru Kirijo, Yukari Takeba, and Minato Arisato." She then smiled. "Can we come in, Wajima-jiisan?"

"Certainly," Wajima said, cheerfully letting the four in. Once they were inside, he turned to face them and asked, "How may I be of service to you today?"

"Minato-san and Yukari-san here are engaged," Nayuki replied, smiling. "When we heard you were here, we thought you might be able to help size the wedding rings." Her smile then faded. "Yukari-san could also probably use your services with the special Rings you make… and there's a chance I might need new ones, as well."

Wajima nodded thoughtfully, before his mind caught up with his ears, prompting his eyes to bug out as he asked, "Are there really Phantoms in town that were missed from the Black Sabbath? And Yukari-san is a Wizard like you?"

"Not sure if they were missed, or they had a different origin, but yes, there are Phantoms here," Nayuki replied. "And they aren't the only problem, either." She sighed. "And yes, Yukari-san is also a Wizard - though she goes by 'Kamen Rider Sage'."

"'Kamen Rider Sage', huh?" Wajima asked, while getting a feel for the title in his mind. "Hmm… that's a unique name for her. Now… what else is a problem compared to the Phantoms and their Ghouls?"

* * *

 _Thirty Minutes Later_

* * *

"And that's where we stand as of now, Wajima-jiisan," Nayuki finished, summing up the past thirty minutes of explaining the entire situation - The Dark Hour, Tartarus, Shadows, SEES, the local Phantoms, Philemon, and Nyarlathotep.

"I see," Wajima said with a nod. "So, you need new Wizard Rings for the situation, I take it? Otherwise, the wedding rings will be the only rings I'll make for this trip."

"We likely will need new Wizard Rings as the situation develops, yes," Nayuki replied. "Apart from the obvious, of needing to use it on Phantoms, Magic does seem to be effective against Shadows, as well - main thing we don't know yet is if it can work on Nyarlathotep, but we'll need to get a lot stronger before we can face him, regardless."

"I see what you mean," Wajima said, before letting off a sigh. "Alright, because I don't want to be seen as playing favorites, I'll have to ask that you let me get the ring fingers measured… unless you want me to have you come back another day."

"Alright," they all said, as Minato and Yukari stepped forward first, for the wedding ring measurements.

* * *

 **Xamusel: FINISH!**

 **…** **what? Why am I doing this the BlazBlue way still? Er… meh, oh well. Now, review corner time.**

 **…** **if there's a review without my knowing about it by the end of this posting period, I have no idea how I'm supposed to answer it, since I need to study the reviews properly before I can give an answer. Unfortunately, since I was hoping to answer at least** ** _one_** **review, I have to settle for not being able to reply in-story.**

 **Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Next update will be Foreign Saga, if all goes well, anyway… actually, no, it didn't go well.**

 **Well, in regards to Naoko, yes, you read it right, she's canonically Naoto Shirogane. Takeshi and I hope you don't mind what we've done with the character in question.**

 **Now… here's Takeshi!**

* * *

 **Takeshi Yamato: Yeah, things are going off the rails.**

 **And yes, Naoko/Naoto and her companion Richard are going to be Kamen Rider Double. Which means that Double's plot is going to happen after the events of Wizard, instead of before OOO like in canon.**

 **Will their plot happen during Persona 4? Or will it be before or after P4? Not telling, but I will say that this is the only reference they get in AWiI.**

 **Anyway, until next time! :D**

* * *

 **Xamusel: Also, on a side note, I have to admit that I'm planning to rewrite the whole thing from the ground up… in case that wasn't clear enough from the last time I mentioned that tidbit. Hopefully, Takeshi will be able to return to this fic with me, but that's neither here nor now.**

 **In any case, could anyone willing to review please say what's going wrong with this version and say what they'd prefer to be done about it in the next version, so that I don't have to guess what you guys would prefer? Thank you very much.**

 **Now… please stand by for the next version of this story. I hope it'll be completely up to date with how things will be going in here… by a long shot at the least.**

 **Thank you, everyone, and have a nice time.**


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